Birds of a Feather
by GardevoirLove4ever
Summary: When a fan of the beloved Warriors series becomes a cat in ThunderClan territory, she starts her path on the ways of the clans. Bonds are made, tragedies strike, and the story will be changed forever. The rewritten version of "I'm a Clan Cat!" DISCONTINUED.
1. The Story Begins

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter One: The Story Begins**

I woke with a start, blinking my eyes open quickly. Man, it was bright out. I wasn't expecting that; normally my bedroom was pretty dimly-lit, no matter how late in the day it was. Wait a minute, this was _not_ my bedroom. Not even close. I was... I was in a forest?

Feeling pretty groggy, I sat up and looked around. Yep. Definitely a forest. Huge oak trees towered above me for what seemed like miles, and there was dense undergrowth scattered in patches along the forest floor. The grass was tall and wild, obviously indicating that this place hadn't been touched by people in a while; if ever at all. How did I even get here? Last I remembered, I was in my bedroom getting ready to go to sleep for the night.

I moved to rub my eyes with my hands, but then stopped. Oh... Oh my god! I had paws now! Quickly, I jumped to my feet and frantically looked myself over. Holy crap, I was a cat! Complete with paws, tail, and everything. My fur was a tan color, with tabby stripes and white paws.

Okay, okay, gotta calm down. I'm in a forest. I'm a cat. I have no clue where I am or how I got here. I'm a cat. Oh man, I'm really a cat now. This is insane. This is... incredible! Feeling a burst of excitement, I started running around the little clearing I had woken up in, jumping high into the air and testing my legs. I had never felt so fast in my life! I don't even know how long I just kept running before I finally had to catch my breath.

After that, I sat down in the shade of one of the nearby trees. As I sat there, I sheathed and unsheathed my claws repeatedly, digging them into the soft earth below my fee- paws. My paws. Maybe I should've been a little more concerned about this. I mean, people don't just turn into cats for no reason. Heck, people don't just turn into cats period!

Just then, a new smell caught my attention. Something, maybe instinct, told me that it was the smell of another cat. Scratch that, several of them. Shoot, that couldn't be good... Most cats, feral or not, were never happy to have intruders on their territory. I wasn't sure that I would be able to hold my own even in a one-on-one fight, forget it if I was outnumbered.

In a bit of a panic, I darted up the tree I'd been sitting next to. I stopped on the highest branch I could get to, hoping it would support my weight. I was a sitting duck if they found me up here, but at least I might have the upper hand if I had the high-ground.

Not long after I got myself situated, five cats came bursting through the undergrowth. There was a gray one, a pure white one, a solid black one, a brown tabby, and a gray tabby. Three of them looked like they were fully grown, while the other two were about my size.

"Cloudtail, are you positive that you scented an intruder?" The gray tom cat asked; he had a darker gray stripe running down his back.

"You know I'm one of the best trackers in the clan, Graystripe. I know what I'm doing. Besides, the scent is still fresh; they must be close by." The fluffy, pure white cat replied, sounding a bit irritated.

Wait a minute, what?! _Cloudtail? Graystripe?_ Those were... No, it couldn't be! There was no way... There was no way I was in ThunderClan right now. There was no way I had turned into a cat and woken up in ThunderClan's territory. I was just a boring, run-of-the-mill, fifteen year-old girl; how could I be a cat in a fictional world? I had to be dreaming, had to be, but... this all just felt too real; the sunlight shining down on me, the gentle breeze, the tree branch creaking beneath my paws.

Wait, oh shi-!

The branch I was sitting on finally gave out under my weight, and in an instant I was falling. I honestly don't know what happened next, but somehow I was able to catch myself on one of the larger branches below me. I wonder how likely it was that they hadn't heard that branch break...

"Hey, you! What are you doing up there?" One of the cats called up at me. Not very likely, then.

"I, uh, well, I smelled you coming, and I was afraid you might be mad at me for being on your territory." I explained, stuttering a bit awkwardly.

"So you knew you were trespassing?" The white tom, Cloudtail obviously, accused.

"Not... Not exactly..." I stammered. How was I supposed to tell them I just sort of woke up here? As if they would even believe that.

"Look, just come down will you? We aren't going to hurt you." Graystripe cut in. He sounded pretty... gentle. Well, about as gentle as he could.

"Um, well, you see, about that..." I stuttered, feeling even more awkward.

"Don't tell me you can't climb down." Cloudtail sighed, no doubt getting frustrated with me.

"No, no, I can do it! ... I think." I insisted, carefully getting to my paws and trying to make my way down the tree. Maybe I shouldn't have climbed up so high. I did a pretty okay job climbing down though, despite the fact that I moved at a snail's pace. When there was only about three feet left between me and the ground, I leaped the rest of the way down, stumbling a bit with my clumsy landing. "S-Sorry about that." I apologized.

"You're fine." A brown tabby stated calmly. I couldn't really tell who he was for sure. There were plenty of amber-eyed brown tabbies in ThunderClan, after all. "Now tell us, what were you doing in our territory?"

"I-I... I heard there were wild cats out here... Living in groups... and I thought... I thought I might want to join one of them." I lied. Well, it wasn't really a lie, per say, but it wasn't exactly the truth either, now was it?

"You want to join our clan?" One of the younger cats asked, sounding surprised. She was solid black with forest-green eyes. She must've been Hollyleaf! Or... was she Hollypaw still? The other young cat, the gray tabby with blue eyes, must've been Cinderheart, or Cinderpaw. Okay, if Cloudtail was here with her, then she was probably still an apprentice right? That meant that the brown tabby was probably Brackenfur. That sounded right.

"If... If you'll have me." I mewed. The three elder toms exchanged looks between each other.

"We'll take you to our leader, Firestar. You'll have to ask him if you really want to join us." Graystripe told me.

"A-Alright." I agreed, trying as hard as I could to hold back my excitement. And after that, the five of them led the way through the forest, being sure to keep a close eye on me. I mean, they probably weren't too worried about me, considering I was about the size of an apprentice. Assuming that Hollypaw and Cinderpaw were still apprentices, that is.

"Hey, what's your name, by the way? I'm Cinderpaw, and this is my friend Hollypaw." Cinderpaw introduced herself. Okay, so they were still apprentices. Good to know. But, wait a minute, could I really give them my real name? They'd probably think I was a kittypet if I told them.

"I... My name is... Eagle."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **And here you have it folks, the first chapter of the new and improved "I'm a Clan Cat!" It's already more than twice the length of the original Chapter One! x'D**

 **My goal is to try and upload a new chapter at least once a week, but any sudden changes in my schedule might put a delay in that. Although, considering I've already got a rough draft to work with and improve on, and I already know pretty much _what_ I'm writing, the hardest thing for me to do will be actually sitting down and writing it. **


	2. Eaglepaw

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Two: Eaglepaw**

"So, what's it like being a loner?" Hollypaw asked me as the six of us made our way to ThunderClan's camp.

"I-It... Well, it can be hard at times. Sure, you've only got one mouth to feed, but not catching anything on a given day means you have to go hungry." I replied. I felt pretty bad for lying to her like that, considering I wasn't _really_ a loner, but if I told them the truth... At best, they might think I've just got a few screws loose, and at worst... they might just drive me out of the clans.

"You'll really like ThunderClan." Cinderpaw beamed cheerfully. "We've almost always got plenty of food for everyone, even if it's almost leaf-bare now."

Leaf-bare? As in winter? That couldn't be right; it was almost fall before I woke up here. Although, I guess that really shouldn't have surprised me, out of everything that was happening now. Why _should_ the seasons be the same?

"I'm sure I will." I smiled. After our brief conversation, I could see a group of thorn bushes up ahead; almost like a wall.

"Watch your step." Brackenfur told me as they led me through a small opening in one of the bushes. I did, but I could hardly contain my excitement as the camp came into full view.

It was breath-taking, really. Of course, I had read about this place more times than I could count, but to see it in person... man, it was so surreal. The steep walls of the hollow towered high above me. I could see the fresh-kill pile, stocked full with mice, squirrels, and all different kinds of birds. Several cats were scattered about the camp, some chatting away, others basking in the sun and relaxing.

This was it. I was really here, in ThunderClan's camp.

"Wait here, I'll go fetch Firestar." Graystripe instructed, heading over to the path that led up to the Highledge. He had only been talking to me when he said that, but Cloudtail, Brackenfur, Cinderpaw, and Hollypaw all waited with me.

Several cats were already looking over in my direction, aware that the patrol had returned with one more cat than it had left with. Ideal chatter quickly turned into hushed whispering, and I felt extremely awkward with all those eyes staring at me.

"Eagle? Are you okay? You look like you're gonna be sick." Cinderpaw asked. Well, it was nice of her to worry. Nice of her to be the caring, friendly kind of cat that she was, too.

"Y-Yeah, I-I'm fine. I'm just... not a big fan of having everyone's attention." I explained. Some might even say I'm a bit of an introvert. Others might call that an understatement.

Just then, Graystripe returned with another cat. It was an orange tom with emerald green eyes, who had an air of authority and dignity about him; just the simple way he carried himself practically screamed he was a leader. Obviously, this cat was Firestar.

"Graystripe tells me that you've found another loner in our territory." He addressed the patrol. His voice was... pleasant, and fatherly-like, comforting even. And then his eyes fell on me. Oh god, what should I do? Should I bow or curtsy or something? Then again, that would be kind of hard to do as a cat... What am I even talking about? He's leader of a clan, not a king! Just try to stay calm, try to be polite, and don't freak out. "Eagle, was it? Is it true that you would like to join our clan?" The flame-colored tom asked me.

"I-If you'll have me." I answered, bowing my head slightly.

"I see..." He noted, a thoughtful look in his eyes, and then he looked back to the patrol. "You all may return to your duties." He dismissed them. They all shared looks with each other before doing as their leader said, leaving me alone with him. "I want to warn you, young one, if you do join us, some of these cats do not take too kindly to strangers, especially in light of... recent events. We have a code, rules that we must live by, that you will have to uphold no matter what. Are you prepared for that?" Firestar questioned.

"Y-Yes, sir. I... I would like to find a... a family; cats that I can care for, and be there for, a-and have them be there for me in return... I don't think I was ever cut out to be a loner." I told him. Part of it was me trying to say what I thought he wanted to hear, but honestly, everything I was saying was one hundred percent true. Firestar looked even more thoughtful when I told him this.

"You seem like an honest, caring cat, Eagle. I've met many cats like you, you know, and I myself was not born a member of these clans. Come, follow me. I'd like to give you a little tour." He meowed, gesturing with his tail. I did as he said, following behind him as he walked over to the fresh-kill pile. "This is where we keep all the prey we've killed. Warriors and apprentices do the hunting, but elders and kits must always eat first. That is one of the rules I mentioned earlier." He stated.

I nodded to show that I'd heard him, but as this tour went on, I pretty much zoned out. I already knew all of this anyway, so I didn't see a point in paying much attention. Although, I was pretty interested in seeing the real dens for myself. Firestar walked me passed the warriors' den, the apprentices' den, the elders' den, the nursery, and the medicine cat's den, before he stopped just below the Highledge. He had been explaining more of the warrior code as we walked around the camp, but I'm sure I don't need to go into detail about that.

"So, Eagle, with all of that in mind, do you still wish to join ThunderClan?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yes. You haven't changed my mind, don't worry."

"Alright then, wait here for a moment." The ThunderClan leader stated simply. After that, he walked up to the top of the Highledge. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!" He announced. Soon, all of ThunderClan had gathered to see what their leader had to say, and once again, everyone's attention was drawn to the loner that had come into their camp.

"Cats of ThunderClan, as you may have already noticed, we have a new guest here with us today. This young cat, Eagle, has told me that she would like to become a member of our clan." He went on, which resulted in several whispers erupting from the crowd. I couldn't hear everything they were saying but there was plenty of stuff along the lines of ' _Another_ one?' and 'What is Firestar thinking?'

"I've shown her around the camp, and talked with her about our ways, and I have decided that I will allow her to become an apprentice." After saying that, he looked down at me. "Eagle, is it your wish to learn the ways of the warrior code, join ThunderClan, and devote yourself to your fellow clanmates?"

"I-It is." I replied, stuttering nervously.

"Then from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Eaglepaw. I ask StarClan to guide you so that you may find in your paws the strength of a true warrior." Firestar declared. "Brambleclaw, you have been a strong and loyal deputy for many moons now, and I believe that you will be the perfect mentor for this young apprentice."

"Eaglepaw! Eaglepaw!" Some of the other clan cats called out. Others weren't too happy about me being there, as I'm sure you can imagine. Brambleclaw came up to be then, and the two of us touched noses.

"Welcome to ThunderClan." The brown tabby tom smiled.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Okay, so, quite a major change from the first story, right? Well as it would happen, during this point in the Warriors series, Squirrelflight is already mentoring Foxpaw, so to make it more accurate with the original Warriors books, I decided to change who Eaglepaw's mentor is. That's not the only major thing I changed, so sorry if this doesn't exactly float your boats. x'D** **But hey, it's my story, so I'm allowed to change whatever I want!**

 **Just so you all know, I'm going to be out of town for the next couple of days, so don't be surprised if I take a little longer to upload Chapter Three, especially since, from this point on, the chapters are gonna start getting longer. Not too much longer, but definitely longer than these last two.**

 **Until next time!**

 **~GL4E**


	3. Clan Life

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Three: Clan Life**

After my apprentice ceremony, Brambleclaw decided to take me out to the training grounds in order to test my current skills. Or lack there of, I should say. Aw man, I just couldn't believe that Firestar had given me ThunderClan's deputy as my mentor. I hadn't been expecting that at all. Although, I guess Berrynose had been Brambleclaw's only apprentice until now. It kinda made sense that Firestar would want to give him another one. I had to be careful, though. God forbid I slip up and tell him anything about Squirrelflight's secret.

The two of us didn't get all that far before Brambleclaw stopped at a large, sheltered clearing. The ground was flat, mossy, and soft here; an ideal place for training.

"This place is called the Mossy Clearing. We use it for practicing battle and hunting techniques." Brambleclaw explained to me. "Let's start with the basics. Show me your best hunter's crouch." He instructed. Hesitantly, I did as I was told. I tried my best to remember what I read in the books and copy that, but I left the rest up to my gut. I mean, it couldn't be _that_ hard could it?

"H-How's this?" I checked, stuttering a little.

"Hmm... Not bad. It could definitely use some work though; you're footing's off, but the way you're holding your tail is good." The brown tabby noted. "...You said you lived on your own before coming here, yes?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, I was with my parents for a little while, but they, um... we kinda split up after I didn't need milk anymore." I lied. That sounded convincing enough, right? Apparently it did, because Brambleclaw didn't question me about it any further. He showed me the "proper" hunting crouch, and then told me to try to mimic him. After that, we practiced stalking and pouncing, using a nearby stick as pretend prey.

"Well, you're a quick learner. That's good." Brambleclaw complimented.

"I think it has more to do with you being a good teacher, honestly." I remarked. Yes, I was being a brown-noser. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

"Don't sell yourself so short. At this rate, you'll probably be a warrior in a couple moons. Although, I take it you don't have much in the way of battle training, do you?" He asked.

"O-Oh, yeah. Well, y-you know, I'm not the biggest cat around, so I tried to avoid fighting as much as I could." Why was it so easy for me to lie like that? Ugh, it made me feel so... dirty.

"I understand, but don't worry; size and strength are two things that can be easily compensated for in battle." The ThunderClan deputy assured me. "If you know what you're doing, that is."

And with that, we began our fighting lesson. I won't bore you with the details, but basically it was a lot of Brambleclaw showing me how to hold myself, proper stances and all that junk, how to use speed along with my small size to my advantage, and so on and so forth.

By the time Brambleclaw declared we were finished, the sun was already starting to dip below the horizon. God, we must've spent hours out here. Normally I would hate spending so much time outside, especially if it involved working hard, but for some reason... this was different. I actually really enjoyed having Brambleclaw teaching me battle moves.

"We'll have to bring you out here with the other apprentices next time; get some real sparring in." Brambleclaw told me as the two of us walked back to camp.

"I can't wait." I said enthusiastically. "Um... Brambleclaw? Thank-you."

"For what?" He wondered, tilting his head slightly.

"For being my mentor." I told him. "I... I know some of the other clan cats are weary of me, since... since I'm kind of an outsider and everything, but you've been really nice a-and patient with me."

"O-Oh. It's nothing, really." He stuttered a bit. The brown tabby tom looked surprised to hear me say something like that. "You know... this might come as a surprise to you, but I know what it's like to be judged for things you don't have any control over. Firestar knows of that too." He went on. "I can see now... why he was so quick to agree to letting you join us..." He murmured, speaking a bit quieter than he had before. "You seem very mature for your age, Eaglepaw. Perhaps I can convince you to spread some of that to my kits." The ThunderClan deputy joked. It seemed like he was trying to lighten the mood after suddenly getting so serious. Needless to say, I was... well, I was shocked really. Here I was, having such a normal conversation with a cat. A cat who was supposed to be a fictional character in a fictional story. A story that I'd read so many times over. Even now, after everything that had happened, it still felt like a dream; like at any moment, I would wake up and it would all be over.

That is, until I felt a sharp, sudden pain pierce my paw-pad.

"Ah!" I hissed, stopping in my tracks.

"Are you alright?" Brambleclaw questioned, coming to a stop as well. To my surprise, he sounded genuinely worried about me.

"I-I think I stepped on something." I explained, lifting my paw and turning it so that the both of us could see the pad. It was a bit hard to make out in the dimming light, but I could make out a dark shape jammed into the pink skin.

"Oh my, that's a pretty big thorn. We're not too far from camp, I'll take you the medicine cats' den." He told me. "Try not to walk on it."

"Y-Yeah." I agreed, holding my paw up and leaning ever so slightly against the larger tom. Wow, Brambleclaw was actually... really fluffy. Like, wow, I hadn't been expecting that. Although, even with all that fur, I could still feel the muscle underneath. It reminded me of the possible battles I would have to fight in the future. Would I be able to take on cats that were as strong, or even stronger, than Brambleclaw? I just couldn't image it.

The two of us got back to camp in record time, considering the fact that I was limping slightly. Brambleclaw took me to the medicine cat's den as soon as we got back, although in all honesty, I could've easily gone by myself. He probably had important deputy business to attend to.

"Leafpool? We need you." Brambleclaw called into the den.

"What's the matter, Brambleclaw?" A light-brown tabby she-cat asked, setting out from deeper within the cave. Although, when her eyes fell on me, she immediately knew what was wrong. "Come in, come in, I'll get that thorn out of your paw faster than you can say 'Ow!'" She told me, smiling kindly.

"I've got to go organize the patrols. You can have the rest of the day off, Eaglepaw, after Leafpool 's done fixing up your paw." Brambleclaw said, leaving me with the medicine cat.

"So, you're the new apprentice everyone's been taking about. It's nice to finally meet you." Leafpool greeted, leading me into her den. The smell of fresh herbs hung heavy in the air, nearly making me wretch with how strong it was.

"Y-Yeah. I-It's nice to meet you, too." I stated. "Sorry about all the fuss, it's just a little thorn, honestly." The tabby she-cat took a look my paw once again.

"Trust me, Eaglepaw, that's hardly a little thorn. I'd hate to see it get infected... Hmm, Jaypaw, why don't you treat Eaglepaw? You need the experience, after all." She mewed. Wait, what? Jaypaw was in here? Oh, I hadn't even noticed him until now, but there he was, sitting in the back of the den. Organizing herbs or something, no doubt.

"It's not like I've never treated a cat with a thorn in their paw before." He grumbled after letting out a sigh. The gray tabby tom got to his paws after that, and then walked over to us.

"H-Hi. I-I, um, I'm sure you already heard but, uh, I'm Eaglepaw." I introduced myself, being the stuttering mess that I was. This was one of my favorite characters, after all. I think I had a right to be at least a little nervous. "I-It, uh, it's my left paw." I told him, holding my paw out to him. Oddly, Jaypaw looked surprised when I did that.

"Did you know I was...?" He muttered. Oops. I guess I technically shouldn't have known that Jaypaw was blind, should I?

"U-Uh, yeah, yes. B-Brambleclaw told me, earlier, when we were training. He told me about you and your littermates. We were just, um, making conversation." I lied. Unlike Brambleclaw, I was sure that Jaypaw wouldn't be so easily fooled.

"I... I see." He stated simply, not pressing the issue any further. "Hold still, this might hurt a bit." He warned me, before carefully pulling the thorn out of my paw pad. It wasn't too bad actually, but I did let out a little hiss of pain. Once the thorn was removed, blood started trickling out in its place. "Press this on the opening for a little while, to stop the blood." He instructed me, passing me a wad of cobwebs. I did as I was told while Jaypaw chewed together a poultice of what looked like marigold and some other herb I couldn't recognize. Once he was done, he told me to take the cobwebs off, and then he spread the gooey juice over my injury. It stung a bit at first, but then dulled to a soothing feeling. Then the medicine cat apprentice wrapped a new strand of cobwebs around my paw, and that was that.

"Should be good now. You can take those off tomorrow. Let us know if you see any signs of infection." Leafpool told me.

"Got it. Thank-you both." I mewed gratefully, before I got up and left the den. Well, I think that encounter went pretty well...

Feeling a little hungry, I headed over to the fresh-kill pile. Even though I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of eating a freshly-killed rodent, it was something that I would have to get used to while I was staying here. However long that would be...

Well, reluctantly, I grabbed a shrew off the pile, and sat down in the grass a few feet away. Okay. Here we go. I gotta do this. It can't be so bad, right? Just close your eyes, imagine it's like a hot dog or something. Ugh...

Slowly, I leaned my head down and took a bite... Oh, oh wow, it actually wasn't that bad at all. Maybe it was my cat self taking over, but it was actually pretty good. I finished the rest of the mouse quickly, wondering if I could get something else to eat. No, I shouldn't take more than one piece of prey at a time. Especially since I hadn't done any hunting of my own yet.

"Hi there, Eaglepaw!" A voice called my new name cheerfully. I looked over and saw Cinderpaw coming over to me along with Hollypaw and Lionpaw. It was then that I noticed that there were actually quite a lot of cats gathering around the center of camp.

"O-Oh, hi, Cinderpaw." I greeted.

"That's an awfully small shrew you've got there. Why didn't you get a bigger piece of prey?" Lionpaw wondered, grabbing some prey of his own.

"Well, I... I haven't even added any prey to the pile myself yet, so I, uh, I thought it would be kinda rude of me to take anything too good." I explained. I also didn't know if I would be able to handle anything bigger, but I wasn't about to tell them that.

"Wow, I wouldn't have expected a loner to think like that." Hollypaw noted. "Oh, ah, no offense, Eaglepaw." She added quickly.

"N-No, it's fine. I understand." I mewed

"You two shouldn't eat anything too big anyway, since we've got to leave for the Gathering soon." Cinderpaw remarked, taking a mouse off the pile. So that's why everyone looked like they were getting ready to leave. I guess I wouldn't be going though. That made sense, since I had just joined the clan and everything. Although, for that matter, would I even be able to go to the next one? Would I really be here for a whole month, or maybe even longer than that?

"I wish you could come too, Eaglepaw." Cinderpaw commented, as if she knew what I had been thinking.

"Oh, well, there, uh, there'll be other Gatherings, right? I'm sure Firestar doesn't want to overwhelm me with all this new stuff so soon is all." I said.

"Maybe you'll be able to come to the next one." Hollypaw put in. Just then, Firestar came down from the Highledge and soon all the cats that were going to the Gathering were waiting by the camp's entrance.

"I'll, uh, see you guys later. I hope you have fun." I wished.

"I hope so, too. Don't worry, Eaglepaw, we'll tell you all about it when we get back!" Cinderpaw promised.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Woohoo, finally got Chapter 3 up. And it only took exactly two weeks. No complaining about length, okay you crazies? This bad boy here is almost twice as long as the last two chapters! Sorry this took a bit long. I've been a big distracted with recent happenings on a little gem of a show by the name of Steven Universe. At the time this chapter's being uploaded, we're in the middle of a big ol' marathon for that. Hopefully Chapter 4 won't take as long, but it might, considering I'm planning for it to be almost as long as this one.**

 **See you next time, my lovelies!**

 **~GL4E**


	4. Faith

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Four: Faith**

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!" Firestar announced. It was pretty early in the morning after the night of the Gathering, and I was honestly a bit surprised that, when I woke up, I was still here. I know it was pretty silly of me, to keep holding on, even just a little bit,to the idea that all of this might still be just a dream. I couldn't help it though. Even now, it was still pretty unbelievable.

Although, I wondered why Firestar had decided to call a clan meeting at this time. Several cats were still sleeping, and others had only gotten up just a few minutes ago. Had something bad happened at the Gathering? I sat beside the other apprentices, and overheard Hollypaw and Lionpaw whispering to each other.

"What do you think he's going to tell them?" Hollypaw wondered. Lionpaw simply shrugged. Jaypaw joined us shortly, coming to sit beside Lionpaw.

"I hope you slept better than me." The grumpy gray tabby mumbled to his brother.

"The Gathering was not what we expected." Firestar's mew rang out, haulting any further conversations. "ShadowClan did not come." Wait. No, no, that couldn't be. Oh my gosh, why had I not realized this sooner?! Where I was in the story now... it was right around the end of Eclipse. That meant... Sol... Ashfur... The fire... no, no, no, no, no. I couldn't handle that. There was no way!

It was then that Brightheart spoke up. "What was wrong with them?" She asked.

"Is there sickness in ShadowClan?" Cloudtail called. Firestar ignored both their questions and pressed on.

"Blackstar came with the loner, Sol, and told us that ShadowClan are turning their backs on StarClan."

"What do you mean?" A white and gray-spotted tom questioned. I assumed it was Mousewhisker.

"ShadowClan no longer believe that StarClan hold all the answers. They have lost faith in their warrior ancestors and will not be attending any more Gatherings." Firestar raised his voice over the murmurs and whispers of alarm speeding through the clan. "The loner Sol appears to be encouraging this belief. But I hope StarClan will have a greater influence over ShadowClan in the end. I believe they will speak through Littlecloud and to Blackstar himself. StarClan has never let us down they let Blackstar stray for a reason, but I'm sure they will bring him back to the clans. All will be well. Remember when the sun disappeared? But it came back again, warm as ever. This darkness will pass too, I'm sure."

"Can't we just get rid of Sol? Drive him out for good?" A dark brown tabby tom called out.

"Blackstar has to make his own choices." Firestar answered.

"Even if those choices affect all the clans?" Sandstorm countered.

"We shall go on as usual." ThunderClan's leader declared. "We shall hunt and take care of our kits and elders. We shall patrol our borders the same way we did in the forest. The same way we've done here. Whatever changes may come, we will listen to StarClan and use the warrior code as our guide."

I heard Hollypaw let out a deep breath when Firestar said that. "The warrior code..." She murmured softly. "The warrior code." The young black she-cat repeated, as if it were the answer to everything. Honestly, her strong faith in the warrior code was something scary.

"However, I do have some good news to share today." Firestar said, shifting on his paws, "ThunderClan is still strong. We have proved ourselves in battle, and we know that StarClan still watch over us. There are three new warriors to be named; Hollypaw, Lionpaw, and Cinderpaw."

Brackenfur came to stand beside Hollypaw. "Well done." He purred, soothing her fur with his tail. I watched a gray speckled tom weave past Lionpaw, who I assumed was Ashfur, much to my pure unease.

"You'll be a fine warrior." Ashfur stated.

"I'll make you proud of me." Lionpaw promised.

"Congratulations, you two." Jaypaw told his siblings. After that, Firestar came down to stand in the middle of the clearing.

"I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these three apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

Hollypaw was already padding into the clearing, and Lionpaw hurried after her. Cinderpaw followed, her pawsteps even and strong.

"Hollypaw, Lionpaw, and Cinderpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your lives?" Firestar asked them.

"I do." All three of them said, one after the other.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Hollypaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Hollyleaf. StarClan honors your thoughtfulness and loyalty." He declared, brushing fur with the black she-cat. "Lionpaw, you shall be known as Lionblaze. StarClan honors your courage and skill in battle. And Cinderpaw," Firestar paused as the gray tabby she-cat approached him, trembling with excitement. "You shall be known as Cinderheart, in honor of those warriors who have gone before. StarClan honors your bravery and your determination. You are a warrior at last."

"Lionblaze! Hollyleaf! Cinderheart!" The clan cheered in unison. I joined in, excited to witness this moment for myself, and to take part in it. After that, the clan dispersed, and everyone returned to their duties. Well, as best they could anyway, with the news about ShadowClan still ever a pressing matter.

I noticed, though, that Jaypaw was still sitting where he had been during the whole clan meeting. A bit hesitantly, I approached him.

"Hey, Jaypaw... you okay?" I wondered.

"Huh? Oh, Eaglepaw, it's just you. Yeah, I'm fine." He said, although it lacked his usual grumpy attitude. He definitely wasn't fine.

"Are you... worried about ShadowClan?" I asked him.

"Of course I am; everyone's worried about ShadowClan. You might not know this, but to have a whole clan suddenly declare that they don't believe in our warrior ancestors is really serious." He sighed, getting to his paws.

"But it wasn't their whole clan. It was just Blackstar, wasn't it? Just 'cause he's the leader doesn't mean everyone thinks the same as him, right?" I pointed out.

"Y-Yeah, I guess." Jaypaw muttered. "...Eaglepaw, what do you think about StarClan? Do you think it's ridiculous? Do you think we're ridiculous? For believing in a bunch of dead cats?"

"Ridiculous? Why would I think that? Even if I didn't believe it, I'd never make fun of you all for having such strong faith in something. I think... I think that's really honorable." I answered.

"'Even if you didn't believe it?' You sound as if you actually believe in StarClan yourself." Jaypaw remarked, sounding a bit surprised by my answer. Oh crap, I messed up; I was supposed to be a former loner! I shouldn't believe in their warrior ancestors!

"W-Well, I mean, h-how can I not? All of you believe in them so much, you can't all be seeing things that aren't there." I defended myself. "I've heard stories about them before, actually. About cats walking amongst the stars. And, well, I liked the idea of it." I went on. Technically that wasn't a lie. Which was good, considering who I was talking to right now. I might have been able to lie to Brambleclaw, and he might have believed me, but I knew Jaypaw would see right through anything I might try to come up with. However, I needed to get out of this conversation as soon as possible. This was a bad idea; why had I put myself in this situation? Oh crap, stay calm, gotta stay calm... He'll know if you start panicking...

"Hey, Eaglepaw! Come here, I'd like you to join this border patrol." Brambleclaw suddenly called over. Oh, thank god, talk about being saved by the bell! I don't even want to imagine what might've happened if Jaypaw and I continued this conversation.

"U-Um, I guess I should get going. S-Sorry about that. I'll, uh, see you around." I told Jaypaw before quickly running over to meet up with my mentor.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **So, yeah, I kinda lied about this chapter being as long as the last one, but whatever. I covered everything I wanted to, and I'm pretty satisfied with how it came out. I'll make it up in Chapter Five, though. Trust me. Aaand so far I've managed to stick an author's note in every chapter so far. Way-to-go me. I'm sure that's not annoying for you guys at all. x'D**

 **As some of you who read 'I'm a Clan Cat!' have probably noticed, this is another major change to the original story. Because of where I had Eaglepaw enter the Warriors world, I realized that I kinda had to cover this part of the story if I wanted it to fit better. This is the only instance where I'll do this, though.**

 **So after this whole ShadowClan thing, we'll be back on track with how the original version played out. I actually have an outline for most of the chapters written out,** **and I plan for this little ShadowClan arc to take up the next two chapters before we move on, just so you guys are aware. I hope that's not a problem for any of you, but if it is, sorry, there's not much I can do about it.**

 **Oh well, enjoy!**

 **~GL4E**


	5. Mistakes

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Five: Mistakes**

After my little conversation with Jaypaw, I tried to avoid him as much as I possibly could, which, actually wasn't too terribly hard, considering he was training to be a medicine cat and I was training to be a warrior. I was doing a pretty good job, I think. I mean, it had only been a day since then, but so far I hadn't had to talk with him once.

Speaking of training to be a warrior, I was doing pretty good in that department as well; I'd even managed to catch a mouse earlier today. I was proud of myself, even though it was such a small accomplishment. To everyone else, it was simply my first piece of fresh-kill as a member of ThunderClan, but in reality, it was my first time ever; as a cat or a human. It was a good feeling, knowing that I could actually be useful to ThunderClan. The prospect of my first battle, however, was a far more daunting thought; one that I preferred not to think about for too long.

For right now, though, I was going over to the fresh-kill pile for some breakfast. Although, I guess it would probably be close to brunch, since it was almost noon. Sadly, noon and midnight were the only two times I could ever be sure of while I was here.

However, I stopped in my tracks when I saw that Jaypaw had already gotten there before me, eating away at some bird, maybe a sparrow. Of course, I couldn't keep avoiding him forever.

...But I could sure as hell try. Breakfast could wait. I wasn't _that_ hungry. Okay, that was a lie, but I could definitely wait just a few minutes if I needed to. Trying to be discrete about it, I turned around, and started to walk away.

"Eaglepaw, wait."

* * *

 **(Jaypaw)**

"O-Oh hi, Jaypaw." Eaglepaw greeted me. "H-How are you?" She stuttered. The nervousness was practically leaping off of her.

"Are you avoiding me?" I questioned, ignoring her question and getting straight to the point.

"What makes you think that?" She replied, and I could tell she was trying her hardest to stay calm.

"You haven't talked to me since yesterday. And just now you were about to get something to eat, until you saw me here, isn't that right?" I remarked.

"L-Listen, you have bigger issues to worry about, right? Like ShadowClan, for instance." She pointed out, trying desperately to change the subject. I let out a heavy sigh, getting rather frustrated with the young she-cat.

"...You're right." I admitted. "I've been thinking about it a lot... and I think... I think that we... I have to do something to convince Blackstar to believe in StarClan again. I'm sure of it, he needs help getting back on the right path." I went on.

"Maybe you could fake a sign from StarClan or something." She suggested, a helpful tone in her voice. I immediately look right in her direction when she said that.

"How did you... that's exactly what I was thinking of doing." I mewed, speaking softer than I had earlier.

"W-Well, great minds think alike, as they say." She explained herself, growing ever more nervous. "That just... it seems like the only thing that might work, if you set it up right. D-Don't you think, Jayfeather?"

"...What did you just call me?" I murmured.

"I-I'm sorry, Jaypaw, I meant Jaypaw. It's just that... a-all these different names are hard for me to keep track of. " Eaglepaw apologized, speaking quickly. She was a good liar, that was for sure. Had I not been able to sense her emotions, I might have actually believed what she was telling me right now.

Growing even more suspicious of this strange she-cat, I decided to try looking into her memories. However, I was surprised to find that, no matter how hard I tried, I simply couldn't. It was almost like there was some kind of barrier preventing me from doing so. Which, of course, only made me more interested. We were already having enough trouble with Sol, the last thing we needed was another troublesome loner.

"Jaypaw, come here, will you? I need your help." Leafpool called over, interrupting my thoughts.

"C-Coming." I called back, and, reluctantly, I did as I was told, leaving Eaglepaw alone by the fresh-kill pile. Whatever she was here for, whatever she was planning, I was sure that I would find out eventually.

* * *

 **(Eaglepaw)**

Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could I have been so stupid?! If Jaypaw wasn't suspicious of me before, he sure as hell was now! God, I had to be more careful. If I kept this up, then next thing you know, I might let something slip out about Leafpool or Crowfeather being their real parents. Thank God Leafpool called him away when she did.

Ugh, I really hated having all this awkwardness between me and Jaypaw. Considering the fact that he was one of my favorite characters in the series, I was hoping that we might be able to become friends. Who would've thought that I would have to end up avoiding him instead? Not just for my own good, but for his as well.

Well, now that Jaypaw was gone, I was able to get the breakfast I'd wanted. I grabbed a black bird of the pile, and went to go sit a few feet away before eating it. Hopefully, just for a little while, I could have some peace.

Sadly, that wasn't going to happen, because as soon as I took a bite out of the black bird, one of the patrols returned. With four extra cats. It was the patrol that Hollyleaf had been on, along with Ashfur and Cloudtail. The four cats they brought with them included a tortoise-shell she-cat, a dark ginger tom, a brown tabby tom, and a cream colored she-cat. Not counting the tortoise-shell, they looked like they were all apprentices.

Given their appearances, and the current situation that the clans were in, I came to the conclusion that these four newcomers were Tawnypelt and her kits. Brambleclaw came to greet them, no doubt surprised to see his sister in ThunderClan's camp.

"It's good to see you." I heard him say. "Are you and your kits alright? How are things in ShadowClan?"

"Everything's fine." Tawnypelt replied. "Prey is running well in ShadowClan's territory."

Maybe it was her tone of voice, or the plain-to-see fact that her and her kits all looked pretty thin, but something told me that Tawnypelt wasn't being completely honest when she told Brambleclaw that.

"You'd better come with me. Firestar will want to talk with you." Brambleclaw informed his sister. "Your kits can help themselves to the fresh-kill pile. There's plenty to go around." After saying that, Hollyleaf brought the three apprentices over to the pile, and they clawed away the damp prey on top, trying to find the drier pieces. I'd almost forget that it had drizzled a bit last night.

"Hi, Hollyleaf." I greeted the older she-cat. "Who're these guys?" I wondered with feigned curiosity.

"Oh, hello, Eaglepaw! This is Flamepaw, Tigerpaw, and Dawnpaw. They're Tawnypelt's kits." Hollyleaf introduced them. "Oh, Tawnypelt is Brambleclaw's sister, but she lives in ShadowClan." She added quickly.

"Were you apprenticed recently? I've never seen you at the Gatherings before." Tawnypelt asked as she and Brambleclaw walked passed the fresh-kill pile on their way to the Highledge. I sat there awkwardly for a moment, not sure of how I should respond to that.

"Er, this is Eaglepaw. She's a former loner." Brambleclaw explained for me.

"I see." Tawnypelt stated, eyeing me with a weary look.

"It, uh, it's nice to meet you, Tawnypelt. Brambleclaw's my mentor, a-and if you're anything like him, I'm sure you're a very kind cat." I mewed, bowing my head politely. Once again, I was relying on my magical brown-nosing powers to assist me.

"Oh, well, then. I hope my brother is being a good mentor to you." The tortoise-shell she-cat smiled, before she and Brambleclaw left to go speak with Firestar. Not long after the two left, Lionblaze came over from the warriors' den. His ears flicked up in surprise when he noticed the three ShadowClan apprentices.

"Hi, Lionblaze!" Dawnpaw mumbled around a mouthful of vole. "It's good to see you again!"

"It's good to see you, too. I can see you're all making yourselves at home." Lionblaze responded surveying the scattered fresh-kill pile. "Speaking of home, Hollyleaf, what are they doing here?" He asked his sister.

Hollyleaf explained to him, and me as well, indirectly, how the dawn patrol had met Tawnypelt and her kits in the forest and brought them back to camp. "She said she doesn't want to be part of a clan that doesn't believe in StarClan anymore." She finished.

More warriors began to appear from the warriors den after that. Dustpelt padded across the clearing to the fresh-kill pile, followed by Mousewhisker and Honeyfern. Then Foxpaw and Icepaw bounded across from the apprentices' den. Luckily, it was getting easier and easier for me to identify my fellow clanmates. Of course, it helped that Foxpaw and Icepaw were the only other ThunderClan apprentices beside me.

"In StarClan's name, what's going on here?" Dustpelt asked, his lips curling. "What happened to the fresh-kill pile? It looks as if a horde of badgers has trampled through it.

"Er... we've got visitors." Hollyleaf mewed hesitantly, no doubt worried about the rest of the clan's reaction to the ShadowClan cats.

Dustpelt's tail shot straight up as he stared at the three apprentices. "ShadowClan cats? Have they left any _dry_ prey?" He sighed, sounding irritated.

"We didn't want to eat the soggy pieces." Tigerpaw spoke up.

"No other cat wants to eat them, either." Honeyfern pointed out, pawing through the remains of the pile.

"And what are we supposed to do?" Icepaw demanded flicking a sodden rabbit with her tail. "Mousefur will claw our ears off if we take her _that_."

Hollyleaf turned to the three ShadowClan apprentices. "That wasn't very polite of you, was it?"

"We're sorry." Flamepaw mumbled. All three young cats studied their paws, their tails drooping sadly.

"Sol says we can only rely on ourselves to take the best care of us." Dawnpaw cut in. "He says we shouldn't spend all our time thinking about fighting and marking the borders. Then there'd be time for every cat to catch enough prey for themselves, and there wouldn't be any problems." Hollyleaf exchanged a shocked glance with Lionblaze when she heard the cream-colored apprentice say that. I, on the other hand, or paw, opted for staying silent, afraid of what I might accidently let slip out.

"What about the cats that can't hunt for themselves?" Hollyleaf asked Dawnpaw.

"Well... _we_ wouldn't let any cat starve." She said, although the apprentice looked uncertain.

"Dawnpaw, you shouldn't listen to that dumb old cat." Tigerpaw declared, giving his sister a playful shove. "He won't even let us train to be warriors anymore! I want to fight for my clan!"

"And I'd really like to train to be a medicine cat." Flamepaw added. "But Sol says we wouldn't need any special cats if every cat knew about herbs and healing. I was going to be Littlecloud's apprentice, but we don't even have mentors anymore."

"Blackstar says we have to go back to calling him Blackfoot." Dawnpaw added.

"Sounds as if ShadowClan is breaking up." Dustpelt remarked, gulping down the last of a mouse. "I never thought I would say this, but I'd be sorry to see that happen. You've got some fine warriors in your clan." He signaled to Mousewhisker and Honeyfern after that. "Come on, let's go organize some patrols and see if we can catch some dry prey."

Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and I watched them go. After hearing all of that news about ShadowClan, I knew that the black she-cat was probably terrified of what was to come. Knowing how strongly she felt about the warrior code, I couldn't help but worry about her.

"What can we do?" She asked, although it was more directed at Lionblaze than me.

"I don't know." Lionblaze mewed after shaking his head. There was an uneasy look in his amber eyes. Before this conversation could go anything farther, Firestar's voice rang out through the hollow.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!"

As everyone gathered, I was painfully aware of the uneasy looks that were cast as Tawnypelt and the three ShadowClan apprentices. I could hear lots of muttering and whispers too, knowing plenty of the warriors were unhappy about seeing the ShadowClan cats in their camp.

"Surely Firestar isn't bringing _more_ outsiders into the clan?" Berrynose mumbles as he came over. I tried to ignore the way he was looking at me, but I could feel the irritation bubbling inside me.

"I hope not." Spiderleg agreed with the cream-colored tom. "That's what caused the battle between WindClan and RiverClan in the first place."

"And where would you be, Berrynose, if Firestar hadn't let your family join us when you were a kit?" Lionblaze asked, and I could see the fur around his neck begin to rise with annoyance.

"T-That's different!" Berrynose argued, turning his back to the golden tabby tom. Glad to see you realize how much of a hypocrite you are, Berrystumpytail...

"Cats of ThunderClan," Firestar began once all of the can was gathered around the Highledge. "As you can see, Tawnypelt of ShadowClan has come with her kits. She has asked for shelter here in ThunderClan because of the way her own clan has changed."

"And are you going to agree to that?" Mousefur called out from her place in front of the elders' den. "Hasn't there been enough trouble because of taking in other cats?"

Before Firestar could reply, Graystripe sprang to his paws. "These cats are part of ThunderClan!" He hissed. "They deserve to have a home here."

"No cat forced Tawnypelt to leave." Mousefur retorted. "If you ask me, cats should decide where they want to live and stay there."

"I understand your worries, everyone, but Tawnypelt isn't asking for a permanent home here in ThunderClan. She and her kits will only be staying here while Sol holds sway in ShadowClan. If she has seen through his lies, others will too, and he won't be allowed to stay for long."

"Then we should take a patrol across the border and drive Sol out." Cloudtail meowed. "The lake would be well rid of him."

"Yes!" Birchfall agreed with the fluffy white tom. "ShadowClan helped us in the battle, so we should-"

"There's been enough fighting already! Some cats are still recovering from their wounds." Brightheart cut in.

"ShadowClan should deal with their own problems." Spiderleg added. "It's no business of ours."

Cloudtail whipped his head around to stare at the long-legged warrior. "If ShadowClan cats are moving in here, then it's _not_ their own problem anymore!" He argued. During this whole arguement, I could feel my anger building up, like a volcano ready to erupt. I had always been a rather... passionate person, especially when it came to subjects that I cared about. Needless to say, it was easy for me to be swayed by my emotions.

"Would you all listen to yourselves?" I finally snapped. Much to my surprise, the whole clan suddenly fell silent after my outburst. It was a bit hard, trying to ignore all the attention I now had. "I thought clan cats were supposed to stand together, not whine and bicker like a bunch of over-grown kits! You shut everyone out just because they aren't exactly like you are. Where's the honor in that, huh?" I went on, finishing when I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to say. Actually, there was plenty more that I wanted to say, but I decided to stop myself before I said something I might regret later.

"That's enough, everyone." Firestar called out calmly. "Tawnypelt is welcome to stay here for as long as she wants. The apprentices with train and perform duties alongside Foxpaw, Icepaw, and Eaglepaw. Tawnypelt will have a place in the warriors' den, and she will also take part in patrols." He went on. "Speaking of which, it's time for the regular patrols. The fresh-kill pile needs restocking, and we need to keep a close eye on the WindClan border." The flame-colored leader finished, ending the clan meeting. After that, Brambleclaw began calling cats to him, splitting them up into various patrols.

"Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, I want you on a hunting patrol with Dustpelt and Sorreltail. And you apprentices," He said, referring to Dawnpaw, Tigerpaw, and Flamepaw. "Go over there and talk to Firestar."

The three of them all got up, looking a bit daunted by the thought of meeting and talking to the ThunderClan leader.

"You'll be fine." Lionblaze promised them as he padded off with Hollyleaf to join Sorreltail and Dustpelt.

"Lionblaze is right. Trust me, Firestar's a really nice cat." I added, hoping I hadn't scared them off from me with my ranting.

"Thank you, Eaglepaw." Flamepaw said, and a part of me could tell he wasn't just thanking me for what I had just told them.

"Yeah, thanks! It was really nice meeting you!" Tigerpaw chimed in, before the three younger apprentice went over to go talk with Firestar. I watched to see him arranging temporary mentors for the three ShadowClan apprentices. Flamepaw was paired with Cloudtail, Tigerpaw with Brackenfur, and Dawnpaw with Spiderleg.

"I'd like to thank you as well, Eaglepaw." A voice said beside me. I nearly jumped out of my skin, surprised to see that Tawnypelt had come to stand beside me. "I misjudged you. You're a very kind and considerate cat."

"O-Oh, it was nothing, really! It just, you know, no one deserves to be treated like that, no matter where they're from." I spoke sheepishly.

"Well, it's good to know that not all loners are as troublesome as that Sol. I think you'll make a fine ThunderClan warrior someday."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Looks like Eaglepaw done goofed. She done goofed a lot. And yay, we finally get a little bit of Jaypaw's POV! Bet you guys were eager for that, huh?**

 **Hot damn, this was one hell of a long chapter. Over 3,000 words on this bad boy. Next one's probably gonna be just as long as this chapter. Hey, you guys did say you wanted longer chapters, didn't you? x'D**

 **Well I believe your exact words were something along the lines of "MOOOORE!" So, eh, close enough, right?**

 **I wonder if I can keep up this trend of having an Author's Note after every chapter... Hm...**

 **~GL4E**


	6. Give Me a Sign

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Six: Give Me a Sign**

 **(Eaglepaw)**

It was pretty late in the evening as I made my way over to the apprentices' den to call it a night. We had done a lot of training with the ShadowClan apprentices, and, needless to say, I was pretty exhausted after all that work. On the bright side, it seemed like they got along well enough with their temporary mentors. I was honestly a little worried when I saw that Firestar had given Dawnpaw to Spiderleg, though, after hearing how he felt about the whole ShadowClan issue.

However, when I reached the apprentices' den, I was surprised to see that Foxpaw and Icepaw were the only ones in there. The two siblings were already fast asleep. Where were Tigerpaw, Dawnpaw, and Flamepaw? They couldn't all have been out on patrols, could they? No, no, I saw Cloudtail by the fresh-kill pile when I walked by it. Apprentices and their mentors normally went on patrols together, last time I checked. That could only mean...

Silently, I crept my way over to the warriors' den, making sure that no one was watching me as I did so. Wouldn't want to accidently blow their cover, or get myself in any trouble for that matter.

Sure enough as I peaked around the back of the warriors' den, there they were; the three ShadowClan apprentices, along with Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jaypaw.

"What about the marshy place?" Dawnpaw spoke in a whisper. "Not many cats will be near there, especially after all the rain we've had. We wouldn't be disturbed while we set up the sign, and Sol never goes that far. He wouldn't want to get his paws wet." The young she-cat went on.

"Sounds pretty good..." Lionblaze mewed thoughfully. "What do you guys think?" He asked Hollyleaf and Jaypaw. Hollyleaf nodded.

"It's worth checking out." Jaypaw murmured.

"But what will the sign be?" Flamepaw wondered, sounding a bit more eager than he should have in this situation.

"We'll figure that out when we get there." Jaypaw replied. "We'd better leave right a-" He started, although immediately he paused, looking over in my direction. Or should I say facing my direction, since he couldn't truly 'look?' Well, whatever the case, it was obvious that I had been found out. "Eaglepaw, how long have you been standing there?" He demanded, sounding rather pissed off at me.

"Eaglepaw?" Hollyleaf gasped. Clearly, she and Lionblaze were surprised to see me.

"Oh, um, not... Not very long." I answered Jaypaw's question. "I was just, you know, passing by. Happened to overhear you guys back here. No big deal, really." I muttered.

"It _is_ a 'big deal.' What, exactly, did you overhear?" The gray tabby questioned.

"Well, uh, probably the stuff you didn't want me to overhear." I admitted sheepishly, shifting my paws, a similar gesture to twiddling my thumbs, if I still had thumb, that is.

" _Great_. Now what?" Lionblaze asked his brother.

"I won't tell anybody, I promise! But, I... I want to come with you. I want to help ShadowClan, too." I said, speaking softly. The three ShadowClan apprentices sat there silently, no doubt unsure of what they should say or do. Hollyleaf and Lionblaze exchanged glances with each other before turning to Jaypaw, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"We'll have to bring her with us, if only to keep her from letting Brambleclaw or anyone else know." The medicine cat apprentice finally decided. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

 **(Jaypaw)**

It shouldn't have surprised me that Eaglepaw had found out about our plan, especially after she brought up the idea of faking a sign from StarClan. Having an extra set of paws wouldn't hurt, per se, but I couldn't help but be suspicious of Eaglepaw's intentions. However, she did seem genuinely willing to help us. That _was_ something that definitely surprised me.

That wasn't the main concern on my mind right now, though. Especially because, right now, the seven of us had just crossed into ShadowClan's territory. If you could even call it that anymore, given the serious lack of scent marks.

"The marshy place isn't too far from the border. It's just a few fox-lengths away from here." Tigerpaw explained.

"Jaypaw, have you decided what we're-" Hollyleaf started from ahead of me.

"I can't decide anything until we get to where we're going. Now keep your tail over your jaws and let me think."I grumbled. I could feel her guilt, though, no doubt from crossing into another clan's territory.

Tigerpaw, Flamepaw, and Dawnpaw led us through a patch of brambles, then into a more open clearing type of area.

"Here we are." Tigerpaw declared. Although I couldn't see the place, there was a dank, musty scent, and the air was heavy with silence.

"What can you see?" I asked as we all came to a stop.

"Marshy ground and water." Lionblaze replied.

"There are reeds and long grass, plenty of cover. And a few trees, too." Eaglepaw chimed in. "They're pretty small, and the roots are pretty long and shallow, from what I can see of them." Interesting, how she had described them so thoroughly for me. It made me wonder if she had encountered a blind cat before, or if she was just simply smart enough to know how to be around one.

"I don't see what we can do here." Hollyleaf mewed anxiously. "Maybe we should try somewhere else, there's nothing to-"

"Shut up, I'm thinking." I snapped. My sister let out a heavy sigh, clearly impatient and frustrated. I couldn't really blame her though. This marsh was hardly a pleasant place to be. It was completely silent as I thought over our options. I wondered, did StarClan cats plan out their prophecies in such great detail? Did they even plan them out at all? Just then, an idea came to me, almost out of nowhere.

"These trees." I started. "Do you think any of them look like they could be knocked over?" I sensed the bewilderment and surprise coming off of everyone as I made such a suggestion. Everyone except Eaglepaw

"I'll check." Lionblaze mewed. "There might be a few." I heard as he splashed off into the marsh. After checking several of the trees, he came splashing back. "I think we could do it." He reported. "I could feel the roots under my paws, so we should be able to dig them up."

"But _why_?" Hollyleaf questioned insistently.

"We're going to make it look as if ShadowClan's territory is falling down around them." I explained.

* * *

 **(Eaglepaw)**

Under Jaypaw's direction, Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and I chose two saplings, not too far from each other.

"I want them still upright, but ready to fall. And when I give the word, I want them to fall toward each other, so their branches are joined together." Jaypaw explained. "Okay, get digging."

The six of us waded out into the marsh, and I noticed Hollyleaf flinch as the cold mud and water soaked her. I had to admit, it was pretty uncomfortable, especially for someone who'd probably never had to deal with such muddy water before.

Dawnpaw and I joined her at one of the trees, while Lionblaze, Tigerpaw, and Flamepaw tackled the other one. Just like Lionblaze had said, I could feel the tree's roots under my paws. I started clawing at one vigorously, trying to dislodge it from the mud. It was tough going, and at first I thought I wouldn't be able to get it.

"This is hopeless!" Dawnpaw whined. She was belly-deep in the thick muck,and drops of mud were splattered all over her head and shoulders.

"Yes we will." Hollyleaf grunted, clawing even harder at her root. "We've got to!" She insisted. I couldn't help but admire her determination. If nothing else, Hollyleaf was a very dedicated cat.

I did the same, digging with all my might. Finally, I the root gave away from under me, and I just barely caught myself from slipping under the water.

"I think we've done it!" Dawnpaw exclaimed once we had dug up a good amount of the tree roots. "The trunk feels unsteady." After she said that, Hollyleaf gave the sapling an experimental shove. The trunk tilted and there was a sucking sound from under the surface of the mud, like it was straining to keep the tree where it was.

"Stop!" Jayfeather ordered. He had been sniffing at Lionblaze's tree, and now he was splashing over to Hollyeaf, Dawnpaw, and I. He stretched out a paw to touch the trunk. I watched as it wobbled again. "That's it. You can stop now."

"Thank StarClan!" Dawnpaw sighed. "I thought I was going to turn into a frog! Ugh, it'll take moons to get this stuff off!"

"Now one of us has to go fetch Blackfoot and Littlecloud." Lionblaze meowed as we all made our way to dry ground.

"I'll go!" Tigerpaw offered immediately.

"No, I will." Dawnpaw protested. Oh, please, no. No bickering siblings, StarClan I beg of you.

"I'd be best at talking to Littlecloud." Flamepaw pointed out.

"But I'm the strongest." Tigerpaw insisted. "And the best fighter. If some cat attacks me I'm the most likely to get out alive."

Lionblaze nodded in agreement. "But you'll need a warrior for back-up. I-"

" _I'll_ go." Hollyleaf interrupted. Man, if there was one thing these guys were good at it was interrupting each other. "You know I'm the best as stalking and keeping hidden. I've got light paws and a black pelt."

"No, a mud-colored pelt." Dawnpaw joked, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Whatever, the mud should help disguise my scent." Hollyleaf said as she sprang to her paws. "Let's go, Tigerpaw."

The ShadowClan apprentice led the way, skirting around the marsh and heading deeper into ShadowClan's territory. Which left the five of us waiting patiently for their return, hopefully with Blackstar, er, Blackfoot and Littlecloud.

We crouched down in a clump of spiky grass, trying our best to stay out of sight. Although Dawnpaw kept wriggling and peeking her head up to see over the stems.

"For StarClan's sake, keep still! And keep your head down!" Jaypaw grumbled.

"The grass is sticking to me." She complained. "And I want to be able to see if any cat is coming."

"We'll hear and scent the cats before we see them." Lionblaze reminded her. "You have to keep still or you'll give us all away." Dawnpaw finally settled down after that.

...

It felt like hours had passed by as the five us us just sat there. It reality, it probably hadn't been nearly that long, but being as impatient as I was didn't make this any easier.

Suddenly though, I heard rustling coming from the other side of the marsh, and I raised my head ever so slightly to smell the air. From what I could tell, it wasn't Tigerpaw or Hollyleaf, and I didn't recognize it as any other cat I might have known.

"Get to the trees." Jaypaw whispered. Just as we were about to creep into position, Flamepaw stopped us.

"Wait! That's not Blackfoot!" He hissed. We all froze when he said that. The lower branches of a bush on the edge of the marsh bobbed up and down as a dark brown tom emerged, sniffing suspiciously at the air.

"It's Toadfoot!" Dawnpaw realized, digging her claws into the ground.

" _Now_ what do we do?" Flamepaw wondered, his voice filled with dismay. Lionblaze seemed to panic, only for a moment, before he turned to the flame-colored tom.

"Flamepaw." He whispered. " Creep around the edge of the marsh on that side, and make sure Toadfoot doesn't see you. When I leap on him, you come and help." He ordered. The apprentice gave him a tense nod and crept away. Lionblaze went off in the opposite direction, taking cover in a clump of bracken just a few feet away from Toadfoot.

We all watched quietly at the ShadowClan warrior stalked forward. A low growl came from his throat. "I know you're there! Come out!"

"Now!" Lionblaze yowled, leaping out from the bracken and slamming into a surprised Toadfoot. Flamepaw hurtled across the boggy ground, flinging himself down on top of the ShadowClan cat. "Get him to cover!" The golden tabby tom ordered.

Together, the two of them dragged the struggling tom behind the clump of bracken that Lionblaze had been hiding behind just moments ago. While they had some trouble at first, they were able to keep Toadfoot down.

Just in time too, as we heard the sound of more cats approaching through the trees. Tigerpaw came bounding forward with Littlecloud beside him, and Blackfoot was about a foot or so behind them. The ShadowClan leader paused and looked around.

"I heard something." He growled.

"Some cat hunting, maybe." Tigerpaw lied easily. "This way, Blackfoot, Flamepaw and Dawnpaw are waiting by the border." He led Blackfoot and Littlecloud forward as if he was going to skirt the marsh at the very edge.

Meanwhile, as Lionblaze and Flamepaw fought to keep Toadfoot quiet, Jaypaw, Dawnpaw and I got into position behind the saplings we had loosened. Almost completely covered in mud, we were hardly visible to any cat that wasn't looking for us. The thin branches of the tree were waving as though the trees would fall at any moment.

Just then, Hollyleaf creeped out from behind a gorse bush, slipping into the mud to help us.

Jaypaw and I pushed at one tree, while Hollyleaf and Dawnpaw got the other. Slowly, both trunks tilted. There was a loud sucking noise, and then the surface of the marshy water churned with brown bubbles.

I heard a yowl of alarm, from either Blackfoot or Littlecloud, I couldn't tell. The trees crashed down almost in perfect sync, their branches locking together as they fell. Tigerpaw quickly scrambled through the branches, taking refuge underneath one of the trunks. I could see Blackfoot clawing vainly at a mesh of twigs.

"Blackfoot, are you okay?" Littlecloud's voice called out.

"No. I feel as if my pelt's been torn off." The ShadowClan leader grumbled. "What happened? Where's Tigerpaw?"

"I can't see him! Tigerpaw!" The medicine cat called out, and edge of worry in his tone. Jaypaw hauled himself out of the mud and balanced among the root of the nearest tree, still out of site from the trapped cats.

"Tigerpaw has vanished..." He whispered, just loud enough for the two ShadowClan cats to hear.

"What? Who's that?" Blackfoot demanded.

"I am one of the spirits you have denied. More cats than just Tigerpaw will be lost if you go on rejecting your warrior ancestors." Jaypaw's whispers became more intense as he said that. "The forest will fall..."

"What do you mean?" Blackfoot questioned. I could just make out his face from where I was hiding, his lips drawn back in a snarl. Littlecloud peered out of the branches behind him.

"A StarClan warrior is speaking to us!" He gasped.

"Superstitious nonsense!" Blackfoot spat, though I could've sworn I heard uncertainty in his voice.

"We must listen!" Littlecloud insisted. "StarClan has a message for us. What if they've taken Tigerpaw and we never see him again?"

"If that's a StarClan warrior, let it show itself!" Blackfoot challenged.

"The forest will fall..." Jaypaw repeated. His muscles tensed and his claws dug into the bark. "The trees will die. Your warriors will be scattered, and when they die they will never find a place among the stars." Blackfoot, however, wasn't listening, just making more and more frenzied efforts to claw his way out into the open.

"Show yourself!" He snarled.

"The forest will fall..." Jaypaw repeated once more, but this time, something was different. His voice had an echoing quality to it, as if another voice had joined him. "The forest will fall..." Now there was a third, all the voices inter-winding together.

I thought I saw a shimmer on the surface of the marsh just then. I blinked, thinking it was just my imagination, but it wasn't. Oh man, it wasn't. I stared, eyes wide. Even though I had known what was going to happen, seeing it for myself was still so awe-striking.

Two cats stood balanced on the surface of the mud; a big reddish-brown tabby with a torn ear, and a small gray and white tom. Frost sparkled at their paws, and starlight seemed to be reflected in their eyes.

"Raggedstar! Runningnose!" Littlecloud exclaimed from among the uprooted trees. Blackfoot stopped in his frantic clawing and stared, his mouth hanging open.

"Sol's time in ShadowClan must come to an end." Raggedstar meowed, his gaze locking with Blackfoot's. "He is like the darkness that covered the sun."

"He seems t have taken over your clan." Runningnose noted. "But he will pass and be forgotten in the brightness that follows. Brightness that will shine on ShadowClan for countless moons."

"I... I hear you." Blackfoot stammered. "I'll do as you say.

"ShadowClan will return to our warrior ancestors." Littlecloud promised. "But... What have you done with our apprentice?"

"He is safe." Raggedstar replied. The gaze of the two StarClan warriors swept around to rest on Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, Jaypaw, and finally myself. The way they were looking at me... It was... definitely intimidating, like they were looking right _through_ me.

The StarClan cats didn't speak after that, though, just bent their heads in a dignified nod. Their glimmering forms began to fade until there was nothing there. They were gone, just as quickly as they had appeared.

Blackfoot broke through the branches without much trouble after that, and Littlecloud followed him through the gap he had made.

"StarClan hasn't abandoned us!" Littlecloud's voice was shaken, but ecstatic.

"They spoke to us." Blackfoot murmured. "You were right, Littlecloud. We can't ignore the spirits of our warrior ancestors. Not when they're still watching over us."

"What will you do now?" Littlecloud asked.

"Get rid of Sol, for starters." Blackfoot said, flexing his claws. "I can't believe I let myself listen to that mange-ridden trickster. He told me StarClan didn't care about us! But they brought us here, made the trees fall so that we would listen to them. I'll make sure no ShadowClan cat is led astray by Sol again. You don't think I've left it too long?" He added anxiously.

"I know you haven't." Littlecloud reassured him. "The warrior code lives within every cat born in ShadowClan. One cat alone cannot quench that flame."

"Then let's go." Blackfoot mewed, turning toward the ShadowClan camp. Littlecloud hesitated though.

"Tigerpaw, are you there?" He called out. I saw the brown tabby clamber out of his hiding place under the trunk and splash his way through the mud over to his clanmates. "Are you okay?" Littlecloud asked. "Did you see what happened?"

"Yes!" Tigerpaw answered, his amber eyes practically shining. "I never thought I'd get to see real StarClan warriors! Can we... Can we come back now?"

"Of course. ShadowClan needs you." Blackfoot stated.

"Then I'll go and find Dawnpaw and Flamepaw!" Tigerpaw declared.

"Get back to camp as soon as you can." Blackfoot ordered. "Let's go. I can't wait to tell our clan that they can look to their ancestors again." He added, waving his tail to Littlecloud.

"I know they'll be glad to hear that, Blackfoot." Littlecloud mewed.

"Black _star_." The ShadowClan leader corrected. "My name is Blackstar." Raising his tail up high, he stalked off into the forest, with his medicine cat padding along behind him.

It was over. We'd done it. Oh my gosh, we had really done it! I mean, of course we had, but to think that I had actually been here to see it with my own two eyes, it was surreal. To think I had actually helped them do it!

Lionblaze and Flamepaw let Toadfoot go after that, but not before making sure that he promised not to tell his clanmates about what he had seen.

"Come on!" Tigerpaw waved his tail at his two littermates. "We've got to get back, too!" The three ShadowClan apprentices dipped their heads to the four of us.

"We'll never be able to thank you enough for this." Flamepaw mewed.

"We did it for ThunderClan, too. And we couldn't have done it without you three." Hollyleaf replied.

"What are we going to do about our mother, though?" Dawnpaw asked her brothers. Tigerpaw and Flamepaw shared worried looks with each other, unsure of what to do.

"Don't worry about that now." Lionblaze assured them. "We'll tell Tawnypelt about what's happened. You need to get back to your camp right away, and we need to get off your territory."

"Yeah!" Tigerpaw's eyes gleamed. "Don't you dare cross our borders after we renew the scent marks!" He smiled. The apprentices bounded off through the trees after that. Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, Jaypaw, and I watched them until they were out of sight, and then we headed back toward ThunderClan territory.

"I can't believe our fake sign turned into a real message from StarClan!" Hollyleaf exclaimed. "Jaypaw, do you think StarClan needed us to se the trap before they could appear?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it." He shrugged.

"I think they wanted the apprentices to show them how desperate they were to save their Clan." Lionblaze suggested. "Tigerpaw and the others wouldn't have gone through all that if they hadn't wanted to being ShadowClan back to the warrior code."

"We were desperate, too." Hollyleaf pointed out. "Nothing matters more than preserving the warrior code."

"And what in StarClan's name are we going to tell Tawnypelt?" Jaypaw asked. "The truth would be a really bad idea."

"I don't know." Hollyleaf sounded worried. "I don't want Firestar to know what we did, either. He would put me and Lionblaze back on apprentice duties before you could say 'mouse.'"

"I doubt it, you guys were amazing! You practically did the impossible!" I gushed.

"Hey, you helped too, Eaglepaw!" Hollyleaf remarked. "After all this, I'm sure there's no doubt in your mind about StarClan being real now."

"That was... that was pretty incredible, to say the least." I admitted. "I don't think I'll ever see something like that anytime again soon."

Oh, how very wrong I was about that...


	7. Back to Normal?

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter 7: Back to Normal?**

 **(Eaglepaw)**

Once we got back onto our own territory, Hollyleaf and Lionblazed stopped to do some hunting before we went back to camp. Meanwhile, I was helping Jaypaw gather herbs. We needed the excuse, after all. Considering how long we had been gone, there was no doubt in our minds that the rest of the clan would wonder where we'd been.

"Let's get back." Jaypaw meowed around a mouthful of herbs. "I'm worried about Millie and Briarkit. Leafpool can't do everything, and if I'm any later she'll have my pelt."

"Well, at least we managed to find all this while we were out." I pointed out, trying to lighten his mood, if only a little bit.

"It's nothing we really needed..." He muttered, and with that, we made our way back to the ThunderClan camp.

Lionblaze pushed through the thorn tunnel ahead of us, the hind leg of the rabbit he'd killed leaving faint marks in the dirt as he dragged it along. As we emerged into the camp, I saw that the clearing was practically empty. It was probably around early dawn now, so everyone was still probably asleep.

I spotted Squirrelflight and Sandstorm sharing a thrush beside the fresh-kill pile, and Poppyfrost was padding toward the dirtplace tunnel.

"Hey, Poppyfrost!" Lionblaze bounded forward, letting his rabbit fall to the ground. "Have you seen Tawnypelt?" Poppyfrost nodded.

"She's in Firestar's den with Brambleclaw." The tortoise-shell she-cat replied.

"Hang on," Hollyleaf mewed softly to her brother as he padded back to us. "We still haven't decided what to tell her."

"We can't talk now. I have to check in with Leafpool. I'll find you later." Jaypaw stated, gesturing for me to follow him over to the medicine cat's den.

"There you are, Jaypaw! Where have you been?" The light brown tabby questioned once we got there.

"Eaglepaw was helping me collect herbs." He answered simply. "We couldn't find any catmint, just some coltsfoot and a few juniper berries."

"Well, anything is better than nothing." Leafpool sighed. "Thank you for your help, Eaglepaw."

"You don't have to thank me. I don't mind helping the clan." I told her sheepishly. It's a good think cats couldn't blush...

Just then, there was a commotion outside, coming from the clearing.

"What's _another_ ShadowClan cat doing in _our_ camp?" I heard Berrynose complain, so loud that I could hear him despite the fact that I was all the way over in the medicine cats' den. Out of curiosity, Leafpool, Jaypaw, and I went out into the clearing to see what all the fuss was about. Sure enough, there was Littlecloud, with a pretty big crowd of ThunderClan cats already surrounding him.

"Greetings." I heard Sandstorm say to the ShadowClan medicine cat. "Birchfall, what's going on here?

"We were patrolling the ShadowClan border," The light brown tabby tom began.

" _I_ spotted Littlecloud." Icepaw cut in "Birchfall and Whitewing were too bust gossiping." I believe the term you're looking for is flirting, but whatever.

"That's enough." Whitewing scolded her apprentice. "Littlecloud says he needs to talk to Tawnpelt."

"With Firestar's permission." Littlecloud spoke. "Things have happened in ShadowClan that she needs to know."

Before Sandstorm could reply, I saw Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Tawnypelt appear on the Highledge, with Squirrelflight just behind them. Sandstorm waved her tail, gesturing for Littlecloud to follow her. She led his across the clearing to stand at the foot of the stones. Jaypaw, Leafpool, and I padded after them with the rest of the ThunderClan cats that had gathered.

"Greetings, Littlecloud." Firestar spoke. "Welcome to our camp. How can we help you?"

"Thank you, Firestar." The ShadowClan medicine cat replied. "It's Tawnypelt I need to speak with." At the mention of her name, the tortoise-shell she-cat's ears flicked up in surprise.

"I have nothing to say to ShadowClan anymore." There was a hint of a snarl in her tone as she said that.

"I'm sorry you feel like that." Littlecloud blinked sympathetically. "But I think you may change your mind once you hear what I have to say."

"Go on, then." Tawnypelt stated, still sounding hostile.

"Blackstar wants you to come back." He went on. "Your three kits have already returned-"

"What?!" Tawnypelt practically gasped, a shocked expression finding it's way on her face. She looked like she was dying to ask Littlecloud a thousand questions.

"Blackstar wanted me to tell you thatno cat will blame you for leaving. ShadowClan has returned to the warrior code, and to their faith in StarClan."

"If that's true..." Tawnypelt breathed. "Then what about Sol?"

"Sol has... decided to leave ShadowClan." Littlecloud explained. 'Decided', yes. Not like he was driven out or anything. Nope, that _totally_ wasn't the case.

"This is good news." Brambleclaw mewed to his sister. "I'd welcome you as my clanmate again, but I know you'll always be a loyal ShadowClan warrior at heart." Tawnpelt touched her nose to Brambleclaw's ear, then nodded.

"Okay, Littlecloud. I'll come with you. But you had better not be lying to me." She warned.

"A medicine cat doesn't lie." Littlecloud replied. I couldn't help but take a glance at Leafpool when he said that, but it didn't look like she was fazed by it.

"Thank you for everthing, Firestar." Tawnypelt said, before leaping down the rocks to join Littlecloud.

"I'm just glad everything ended so well." The flame-colored leader meowed. "Good-bye, and good luck!" And with that, the two ShadowClan cats padded across the clearing, disappearing into the thorn barrier together.

"I never thought that would happen!" Cloudtail exclaimed after they had gone. "Do you think Blackstar really changed his mind just like that?"

"I'd bet a month of dawn patrols those apprentices had something to do with it." Birchfall meowed "Why else would they disappear back to ShadowClan without their mother?"

"I can just image those three holding Blackstar down until he agreed." Dustpelt chuckled.

"Maybe losing them made Blackstar realize what he was doing to his clan." Hollyleaf suggested, and I just barely picked up on the careful edge in her voice.

"Well, whatever changed his mind, it's a good thing for the rest of the clans." Sandstorm mewed. "No cat wants a Clan on their borders that doesn't follow the warrior code."

"What about Sol? Tha'ts what I'd like to know." Mousefur piped up. "Where will he go now?"

"You cares?" Berrynose scoffed, as arrogant as ever.

"Because he might start causing more trouble, mouse-brain." Dustpelt pointed out. "I just hope he'll leave the clans alone now."

"He'd better." Hollyleaf muttered, digging her claws into the ground. "He has no place here if he tries to destroy the warrior code."

"I don't think we have anything to worry about with him anymore." I spoke up finally, after once again opting to be quiet during the majority of this conversation.

"I hope you're right..." Jaypaw murmured. "You should go get some rest, Eaglepaw. I'll tell Brambleclaw that you were out collecting herbs with me."

"Right, thanks." I sighed, stifling a yawn. Until he had said that, I'd felt pretty okay, but now I could feel the exhaustion creeping up on me. With everyone else getting up and ready to go, I slinked away into the apprentices' den. Luckily for me, I was the only one in there. I curled up into my nest and left myself drift off to sleep.

...

It was probably close to midday when I finally woke up, and as I made my way over to the fresh-kill pile, I saw Jaypaw rolling a clump of old bedding over to the thorn tunnel. Hmm... maybe food could wait a little bit longer...

"Can I help you with that bedding Jaypaw?" I offered after walking over to him.

"Sure, I guess. I've got this, but you if you could get some fresh moss, that would be good." He agreed, although he seemed a bit reluctant at first. The two of us walked out of the hollow together, and while Jaypaw dumped the old pile a few yards away, I pulled a couple thick patches of moss off of a nearby tree. We each took half the bunch, and carried it back into camp.

"Come on, you can help me get Millie and Briarkit to their nest." He ordered after we had laid down the new bedding. I followed after him, and we found the two she-cats resting in a sunny spot beside the wall of the hollow. Even though, I wasn't standing all the close to her, I could still hear Millie's raspy breathing, and I could easily pick up the smell of sickness that was drifting off her.

"I want to play." Briarkit whimpered, nudging at her mother. She had to catch her breath after she spoke, and I could see her little legs wobbling slightly. "Be a mouse, and I'll catch you!"

"Come on." Jaypaw meowed, trying to sound cheerful. It was a strange thing to hear him do. "Eaglepaw and I put down some fresh bedding for you. You'll be able to have a really good sleep."

"I don't wanna sleep!" Briarkit protested.

"But if you don't sleep you won't get better." I pointed out, "And if you don't get better, you won't be able to play with your littermates."

Jaypaw slipped his shoulder under Millie's as she struggled to her paws. While he did that, I crouched down and let Briarkit climb up onto my back, knowing she would enjoy it more if I carried her there. He helped Millie back into her nest, and I lowered Briarkit down to be beside her mother.

After we were done with that, I noticed that Jaypaw was just standing there, staring off into space. There was a strange look in his blind blue eyes, as if he were actually seeing something. At first I thought I should call out to him, but then I thought better of it, realizing that I might interrupt something important. After a few minutes, he blinked several times, returning to normal.

"Are... Are you alright, Jaypaw?" I asked him, speaking softly.

"Y... Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." He replied quickly, straightening up and making his way back to the medicine cat's den. I followed him there, seeing as I had nothing better to do. Just as the two of us entered the den, Sandstorm came rushing in, a panicked look on her face.

"Leafpool, come quickly!" The sand-colored she-cat gasped. "Firestar's ill!"

 **(Jaypaw)**

"I'm coming!" Leafpool said, slipping right past Eaglepaw and I. Quickly, I snatched up a couple stalks of coltsfoot, rushing after her. I'd been so focused on where I was going, I hadn't realized that Eaglepaw was following behind me.

When I reached the Highledge, the smell of sickness hit me like a blow. Inside his den, Firestar was coughing a lot, and as I padded up to him, I could feel the heat of a fever pulsing off of his body.

"Thank you, Jaypaw." Leafpool mewed, taking the coltsfoot from me. "Here, Firestar, eat these herbs."

"I'm not that sick." The ThunderClan leader protested, his voice already toughened from coughing so much. "Save those herbs for the cats who need them."

"Don't be ridiculous! _You_ need them." Leafpool snapped. "I'm your medicine cat now, and don't you forget it!"

"You were so quiet when you were a kit." Firestar chuckled weakly. "I never thought you would turn out this bossy."

"Well, I did, so do as you're told." Leafpool said, sounding full of affection for her father. "Come on, you know the clan needs you to be strong and well."

As Firestar chewed up the coltsfoot, I slipped out of the den, hoping to get some fresh air. To my surprise, Eaglepaw was waiting there, right outside.

"He's really sick, isn't he?" She mewed softly. I nodded, although part of me was sure tell she already knew the answer. "Um... Jaypaw? What if... What if I told you I know where more catmint is?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was she serious? Of course she was, I could easily tell whether or not she was lying.

"Really? Why didn't you say so sooner? Where's it at? " I asked her, feeling my own eagerness bubble up inside of me.

"Uh, well, that's the thing... It's... it's kind of... in WindClan territory." She confessed, speaking much softer than before. WindClan? But how...

 _Seek for the wind._

I remembered the words Brightspirit has said to me earlier, when I had received that vision from StarClan while Eaglepaw and I were looking after Millie and Briarkit. Seek for the wind! Of course, Brightspirit had to have been talking about WindClan! Why hadn't I realized that sooner? More importantly, how had Eaglepaw realized it at all?

"I... I can go get them, I think." Eaglepaw's voice cut off my train of thought.

"You think?" I echoed. Why was Eaglepaw so unsure of herself when she said that? If she knew where the catmint was, why wouldn't she be able to get them?

"It's just, I mean, I know where they are, I'm just not... completely sure about how to get there." She explained awkwardly. "I... I'm really worried about Firestar. I'm scared that he might die if we don't get catmint soon."

In the name of StarClan, this cat was unbelievable. I could tell that she was telling the truth, that she really did worry about Firestar's safety, and that's what surprised me so much. What reason did she have to care about Firestar so much? Was it because he had agreed to let her become a member of ThunderClan? No, that couldn't be the only reason. Still... she seemed so genuine about helping him.

"We'll go together."


	8. A Matter of Time

**Birds of a Feather:**

 **Chapter Eight: A Matter of Time**

 **(Eaglepaw)**

"Oh my stars, Jaypaw, where did you find these? We already checked all over!" Leafpool exclaimed, a combination of surprise and sheer joy in her voice. We were gone and back with the catmint in hardly any time at all. Jaypaw had led me through the tunnels, and I took him to where the catmint was on WindClan's territory. Luckily for us, it was fairly close, and we didn't run into any trouble with any patrols along the way.

"I... was just taking a walk around the territory, trying to clear my head, and I found it near the tunnels." Jaypaw explained. He and Leafpool were talking in the medicine cat's den while I was sitting outside. Pretty much evesdropping, but let's not worry about that. Jaypaw and I had agreed that he would take full credit for finding the catmint, since it would've probably made the rest of the clan pretty suspicious if the two of us had been out looking for herbs together. Again.

"StarClan must be looking out for us, I'm sure of it!" Leafpool went on. "Come on, let's take these to Firestar and the others. The sooner, the better." It made sense that she would'nt question Jaypaw too much. After all, they were desperate for catmint. Together, the light brown tabby she-cat and her apprentice came hurrying out of their den, mouths filled with bundles of catmint.

With that crisis averted, Firestar now had one extra life to spare. And then it occured to be that, because of what I had done, I had just changed the story. I mean, it wasn't really that big of a change though, was it?

Suddenly, I felt a bit uneasy. From my experience with a multitude of books, shows, and movies about time travel, there was one thing that always stood true; life always had a tendecy to flow back to it's original course. Even if I had prevented Firestar from losing a life here and now, that didn't mean he would lose it some other way.

Ugh, I shouldn't be worrying about all that stuff right now. I had already waited to eat so that I could help Jaypaw, and by now I was starving. I grabbed a small robin off of the fresh-kill pile, and then picked a nice shady spot to sit and eat. Brambleclaw would probably want me on one of the next patrols, considering how long it had been since I'd last been on one. Hopefully, it would be a border patrol; I wasn't really in the mood to do any hunting so soon.

After I was done eating, I just decided to rest for a bit more. It couldn't hurt, right? Geez, I'd only been here a few days and already it felt like a life-time.

"Eaglepaw, I want to talk with you." A voice broke my train of thought. I looked up and saw Jaypaw standing in front of me, a serious look in his eyes. I let out a yawn, sitting up.

"Oh hey, Jaypaw. Are you guys finished treating everyone?" I wondered. He simply nodded. "Whatcha' need?"

"I need to know how you knew about the catmint. How did you know exactly where it was? In WindClan territory, no less?" He questioned, speaking softly, so that no other cat would hear him.

"... Well, I just sorta knew." I answered hesitantly. "It was just, like, a gut feeling, I guess? I don't know, maybe StarClan sent it to me, like a vision or something." I lied.

"Eaglepaw, enough." Jaypaw hissed. "I know you're lying. For once, can you just tell me the truth?"

"I... Jaypaw, I'm sorry, I-" I started.

"Eaglepaw, come on! I want you on this border patrol with Dustpelt and I!" Brambleclaw called over, interrupting me.

"Coming!" I called back to my mentor. "I'm sorry, I have to go." I murmured sadly to Jaypaw. He practically ignored me, simply getting to his paws and heading back to the medicine cat's den. Why did it have to be like this? I just... I just wanted us to be friends.

* * *

 **(Jaypaw)**

A few days passed after my conversation with Eaglepaw, if you could even call it that. Once again, the strange she-cat had started avoiding me. Not like it was all that hard for her to do though, since she had her warrior training and I had my medicine cat training. However, it was pretty clear that she was taking on extra work around the camp. I'm sure Icepaw and Foxpaw were practically in love with her for it. Maybe it was easier that way. There was something so off about her; she had this weird way of getting to my head without even trying.

The sun had just set a little while ago, and tonight was the night of a half-moon. Leafpool and I were already heading to the Moonpool to meet with the other medicine cats. To think it was already time for that... What would StarClan even have to tell me? Maybe... Maybe they could tell me more about Eaglepaw.

Barkface and Kestrelpaw were already there, waiting for the rest of us to join them. Littlecloud arrived next, no doubt eager to speak with his warrior ancestors. Willowshine and Mothwing followed soon after.

"It's good to see you all." Littlecloud greeted.

"Things have returned to normal in ShadowClan, then, I take it?" Barkface purred. The ShadowClan medicine cat nodded.

"Everyone, before we share tongues with StarClan, there's something I'd like to do." Leafpool spoke up, and I became aware of her barely-contained excitement. "StarClan has shown me that Jaypaw is ready to receive is full name."

I could hardly believe my ears. She must've been referring to the catmint that Eaglepaw and I found. For a heartbeat, I felt guilty for taking all of the credit for that, and then lying to Leafpool about where I had truly found it. But we had saved Firestar from losing a life, and saved ThunderClan from what could have been a serious outbreak of greencough.

A sort of warmth spread through me as I remember the joy and relief of the sick cats when Leafpool and I had delievered the catmint to them. They were all sleeping more restfully now, and there was still plenty of catmint to go around.

"Well, Jaypaw?" Leafpool's voice was full of amused affection. "Badger got your tongue?"

"I... No, thank you!" I stammered.

"Then come here to me."

I padded around the edge of the pool, trying to be careful as I walked on the slippery surface. StarClan forbid I begin my naming ceremony by falling into the Moonpool. As I came to stand in front of my mentor, I was startled by the love and pride that flooded out of her. Did I really mean so much to Leafpool?

"I, Leafpool, medicine cat of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help he will serve his clan for many moons to come." She began. "Jaypaw. Do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from the rivalry between clan and clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do." I stated, speaking the words clearly and confidently.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your true name as a medicine cat." Leafpool continued. "From this moment on, you shall be known as Jayfeather. StarClan honors your skill and thirst for knowledge."

Wait, what? No, that... that could be right. I had to have misheard her. But I hadn't. The name Leafpool had just given me... was the name that Eaglepaw had accidently called me several days ago. There was no way that was a coincidence, but then, how was it possible that Eaglepaw knew my full name before I even received it?

Just how many times was it now? How many times had Eaglepaw known about something just before it happened? Something that she never should have, _could_ have known? This was too much. Too much for me to handle.

I had to talk to her again. It would have to wait until tomorrow, but as soon as I got the chance, as soon as I could speak with her alone, uninterrupted, I had to do it. I had to get her to tell me the truth.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **So this chapter's a bit on the short side, but that's okay! I'm happy with what I've got written for it. My goal is to keep each chapter above 1000 words, and so far I've managed to stick to that!**

 **Well, the next chapter should do a pretty good job of making up for this chapter's some-what-shortness.**

 **Haha. Ha. Ha. ewe**

 **~GL4E**


	9. I Want to Protect You

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Nine: I Want to Protect You**

 **(Eaglepaw)**

So maybe I'd started avoiding Jaypaw again. And maybe that wasn't the best way to deal with things. But I didn't know what else I could really do. It was better if I just avoided him, wasn't it? If I let something slip, something that he wasn't supposed to know yet... I didn't even want to think about what might happen.

Right now, it was pretty late in the evening. The sun had started dipping below the horizon not too long ago. Brambleclaw had told me earlier that we were going to be on the dawn patrol, so I decided I would head to bed early. In fact, I was just about to walk into the apprentices' den.

"Eaglepaw, stop." A voice demanded from behind me. I turned and saw Jaypaw standing there, with that same serious look he'd had when he wanted to talk to me a few days ago.

"Oh, um, hi, Jaypaw!" I stuttered.

"It's Jayfeather now." He stated plainly. So then Leafpool had given him his full name last night. Wonderful.

"C-Congratulations! I'm sorry, but Brambleclaw's putting me on dawn patrol tomorrow, and I've _really_ gotta get some sleep, you know how it is." I spoke quickly. I was about to duck into the apprentices' den, but Jayfeather immediately moved in front of me.

"We need to talk, Eaglepaw." The gray tabby tom mewed. "Privately, with no interruptions." He wasn't about to take 'no' for an answer, I could tell from the look in his eyes. Those piercing blue eyes, while blind, seems so impossibly focused on me.

"Um, alright." I agreed, although a bit reluctantly. "Where exactly do you want to go?"

"Follow me." He practically ordered. Despite his, er, straight-forwardness, I did what he told me to, following the medicine cat apprentice as he led me out of the camp. Oh, sweet irony, being led by a blind cat. Someone would point that out, I'm sure.

Jayfeather took me all the way over to the abandoned Twoleg nest before deciding that would be far away enough.

"I'm sure you already know what I want to talk to you about." He finally spoke. The walk to the worn-down, old building had been a silent one, as I'm sure you could imagine. "So I'll just get right to the point. Eaglepaw... Who... What are you? How do you know about all these things before they even happen? The fake sign, the catmint, my name, StarClan only knows what else." Before I could answer he added, "I want the truth this time. No more lies."

"Jayfeather, I... I'm sorry. I can't... I can't tell you." I murmured, taking a seat and looking down at my paws.

"Why not?!" He snapped. "Why can't you tell me?"

"You wouldn't believe me, for starters." I laughed dryly. "Or, even if you did, you'd still think I was crazy."

"Eaglepaw... I just... I just want to know more about you. No, I _need_ to know more about you. Since the start, you've only ever helped us, but I can't ignore this... this feeling I get, whenever I'm around you." Jayfeather confessed. I could feel my heart start to race. Was he confessing his love to me or something? No, no, that couldn't be it. "I can tell... there's something not right about you." Okay, that made me calm down a little bit more, at least. Although 'calm' was the last word I would use to describe how I felt right now. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't lie to him, there was no point.

"...My name... was never actually Eagle." I finally spoke up, after sitting there in silence for quite some time.

"W-What?" Jayfeather stammered. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I lied about my real name." I replied. "Because if I had told you all my real name, I was sure you'd think I was a kittypet."

"What was your real name, then?" He asked.

"...Ashley." I stated.

"Ash...lee?" He repeated. "That _does_ sound like a kittypet name."

"It, uh, it's a Twoleg name, actually. Twolegs sometimes give their cats Twoleg names." I pointed out.

"You're not a kittypet, though, I know that much at least." Jayfeather remarked. "So why do you have a Twoleg name?"

"Because I... Because that's what I am."

* * *

 **(Jayfeather)**

"You... You what?" I stuttered. There was no way I'd heard her right. There was just no way Eaglepaw could've really said that.

"I'm a Twoleg, Jayfeather. Or, well, at least... I used to be one." She mewed softly. "I... I'm from a different world. A world where your lives... the way of the clans... they're all just stories."

"You're... You're joking. You're lying to me, you have to be!" I said. But she wasn't. I knew she wasn't.

"Do you really think I could make something like this up, Jayfeather?!" She practically snapped at me.

"Why... why are you here, in ThunderClan?" I questioned.

"I don't know. I wish I did, I just... I was just living my perfectly normal life, and then one day I just woke up here, in ThunderClan's territory, as a cat." She explained.

"What _do_ you know? About us? About the clans? " I asked her.

"I... I know about your powers. You can walk into other cats' dreams and feel their emotions. Lionblaze can't be defeated in battle. Hollyleaf has a strong tie to the warrior code. I know about the time when you three were kits and you tried to find the fox kits in ThunderClan's territory, but one of them ended up chasing you over the edge of the hollow. I know that you wanted to be a warrior, that Brightheart was your mentor before you decided to become a medicine cat." She listed off. I couldn't believe my ears... "I know so much, Jayfeather. Not just about the past, but about the future, too. I can't even tell you everything I know. Not because I don't want to, but because there's just so much I _could_ tell you."

"I... I need a moment." I said, taking in a deep breath. This was just so much to take in at once. Maybe I should've expected something like this; something big. To think, there was a totally different world out there. A world where our lives were nothing but stories.

"Jayfeather, I... I just want you to know, I don't have any bad intentions for you guys. I just... I want to protect you. All of you." Eaglepaw mewed. And I believed her. I could feel the pure sincerity, burning off of her like a flame.

"We should... We should get back to camp." I stated. "You've got a dawn patrol tomorrow, right?"

"R-Right." She agreed. I think I needed some sleep myself, just to give me some time to get my head around this.

The two of us went straight back to the camp after that, and parted ways at the thorn tunnel. As Eaglepaw padded over to the apprentices den, I felt the relief that was flowing off of her. Was it that she was relieved that she didn't have to keep lying to me anymore? That seemed likely. To think a Twoleg could manage to fit in with ThunderClan so well... it was unbelievable.

* * *

 **(Eaglepaw)**

The last thing I remembered as I entered the apprentices' den was falling into my nest, emotionally exhausted from my conversation with Jayfeather. I must've fallen asleep almost instantly, because after that, the next thing I knew, I was awoken by the smell of smoke, strong and acrid. To be honest, the first thing that popped into my head was a someone having a bonfire or something. Except then I remembered where I was.

"Get out, now! All of you get out!" Firestar's voice rang out from the clearing. "You'll be trapped if you stay in here!"

 _No. No, no, no, no, no!_ How could I have forgotten?

"Icepaw, Foxpaw, wake up!" I practically screamed at my denmates. "The forest is on fire!"

The two apprentices got up immediately, rushing out of the den, and I followed quickly behind them.

"Head for the Twoleg nest!" Firestar ordered, his voice raising above the panic from the other clan cats. "We can shelter there!"

I just stood there outside the apprentices' den, frozen in place as I looked around frantically for Jayfeather, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze. I had to find them! I had to!

I saw Brambleclaw come out of the nursery carrying Bumblekit, followed by Daisy with Blossomkit. Rosekit and Toadkit stumbled along behind their mother. Mousefur padded out of the elders' den with her tail over Longtail's shoulders, guiding the blind tabby tom through the patches of fire that littered the camp.

There! I spotted Hollyleaf's black pelt against the bright flames, rushing toward the medicine cat's den. Leafpool and Jayfeather came out as soon as she reached it, and I ran over as quickly as my paws could carry me.

"Eaglepaw, what are you still doing here?" Hollyleaf gasped. "Nevermind, nevermind, Leafpool, go help the others, I'll bring Jayfeather." She told the ThunderClan medicine cat. Leafpool nodded, her mouth full of herbs, before racing for the tunnel. "Go with her, Eaglepaw."

"No, I want to help you guys." I argued.

"I don't need any help, thanks." Jayfeather muttered furiously.

"Don't be a mouse-brain!" Hollyleaf spat. "There's fire everywhere. Now stop complaining and grab my tail."

With Hollyleaf taking the lead, I followed behind Jayfeather. Suddenly, though, Lionblaze loomed up out of the rain.

"You're here." The golden tabby tom panted with relief. "Let's go."

Together, the four of us headed for the thorn tunnel. By now, the clearing was completely empty; it looked like the rest of the Clan was already gone. We were half way across the clearing when a burst of lightning clawed it's way across the sky. The barrier across the entrance of the camp crackled before bursting into flames. The tunnel had vanished.

"We're trapped!" Hollyleaf gasped, frozen with fear. She, Lionblaze, and I looked around frantically, trying to think of what we could do. The camp was littered with blazing branches, and more were raining down for the lightning-struck trees around the hollow.

"Over here!" Squirrelflight's voice called from behind us. We all whirled around to see the ginger she-cat waving her tail urgently toward the rock wall. "There's another way out!"

"It's a secret way out of camp!" Hollyleaf exclaimed. "And we never knew about it!"

"Thank StarClan." Squirrelflight retorted dryly. "You three were enough trouble as kits and apprentices without this." Then her voice changed, growing tense again. "Jayfeather, you come first. Follow my voice, it's not a difficult climb."

"We'll come behind and catch you if you fall." Lionblaze assured his brother.

"I'm not a kit!" Jayfeather snapped, though I could hear the fear peaking in his voice. Squirrelflight scrambled up through the bramble thicket and clung there, calling out to Jayfeather so that he could follow her. The gray tabby struggled up behind her, sinking his teeth into a tendril of ivy when his hind paws lost their grip.

"Mouse-dung!" He spat, scrabbling to get his balance again. Squirrelflight went on guiding him, her voice calm now, even though she must've been terrified that one of us would fall.

Lionblaze and Hollyleaf told me to go next, and the two of them followed behind me. Even though Squirrelflight had said the climb was easy, I was sure that I would lose my grip at any moment, or maybe Ashfur would spring out of nowhere. Honestly, I thought I'd never reach the top.

But then I felt someone's teeth grab onto my scruff, and I was dragged up over onto the top of the cliff. I just laid there for a minute or two, watching as Squirrelflight helped Lionblaze and Hollyleaf. Jayfeather was lying on his side, eyes closed and sides heaving.

"Get away from the edge." Squirrelflight warned us. "The rock's starting to crumble." She turned, leading the way through the bushes. I followed behind her after making sure the other's had all gotten to their paws.

I could hear Jayfeather bickering with his littermates again, but his voice was cut off as the whole sky lit up from another bolt of lightning. I turned, terrified to see that the bushes behind Squirrelflight and I had burst into flames. Smoke billowed up as a light drizzle fell on the bushes, not nearly enough to quench the roaring fire.

"Squirrelflight, Eaglepaw? Are you there?" Lionblaze's voice called. "Help us!"

"We're here!" Squirrelflight called back, her voice high-pitched with terror. "I'm going to push a branch through to you. You can run along it before it catches fire."

"Right. We'll be ready!" Lionblaze replied.

"Here, I'll help." I offered as Squirrelflight sank her jaws into a nearby branch. She nodded, and I took the other end in my mouth. Together the two of us dragged it over to the flames, before pushing it through to Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather. The branch made a perfect bridge through the fire.

"You guys have to hurry, now!" I called to them, feeling a sense of panic and dread growing inside of me. Just as the words escaped my lips, it happened.

Ashfur leaped out from the smoke, standing on the end of the branch closest to Squirrelflight and I.

"Ashfur, what are you doing? Get out of the way!" Squirrelflight yelled at the gray speckled tom. "Let them get out!" But I knew he wouldn't listen to her. I knew the words that were about to slip off his tongue.

"Brambleclaw isn't here to look after them now." Ashfur sneered.

"What have you done with my father?" Lionblaze howled through the flames. Ashfur turned to look at his former apprentice.

"Why would I waste my time with Brambleclaw?"

Squirrelflight staggered up to the gray tom, her fur bristling with fury. I could tell she was exhausted from the climb to the top of the cliff, and from pulling the branch with me, but still, she had all the ferocity of a tiger.

"Your quarrel with Brambleclaw has to stop." She hissed. "Too many moons have passed. You have to accept that I'm Brambleclaw's mate, not yours. You can't keep trying to punish Brambleclaw for something that was always meant to be."

"I have no quarrel with Brambleclaw." Ashfur stated. "I could care less about him. It's not his fault he fell for a faithless she-cat." He continued. "I know you think I've never forgiven Brambleclaw for stealing you from me, but you're wrong, and so is every cat who thinks so. My quarrel is with _you_ , Squirrelflight. It always has been."

"All this was moons ago." Squirrelflight mewed, sounding puzzled. "Ashfur, I had no idea you were still so upset."

" _Upset_?" Ashfur echoed, "I'm not _upset_. You have no idea how much pain I'm in. It's like being cut open every day, bleeding onto the stones. I can't understand how any of you failed to see the blood..." His eyes clouded and his voice took on a wild, distant tone, as if he could see the blood spilling out of him now. God, it was down right terrifying. Reading those words was one thing, but to hear them coming straight from his mouth, I could tell I was quivering where I stood.

"I can't believe you didn't know how much you hurt me. You're the blind one, Squirrelflight, not Jayfeather. Who do you think sent Firestar the message to go down to the lake, where the fox trap was waiting? I wanted him to die, to take your father away so that you would know the meaning of true pain.

"He tried to kill Firestar?" I heard Hollyleaf gasp. "He's mad!"

"Brambleclaw saved Firestar then." Ashfur went on to Squirrelflight. "But he's not here now. He's not here, but your kits are."

"Enough, Ashfur. Your quarrel is with me. These young cats have done nothing to hurt you. Do what you like to me, but let them out of the fire."

"You don't understand." Ashfur looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. "This is the only way to make you feel the same pain you caused me. You tore my heart out when you chose Brambleclaw over me. Anything I did to you would never hurt as much. But your kits..." He turned to look at Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze, his eyes narrowing to blue slits. "If you watch them die, helpless to stop it, then you'll know the pain I felt."

For all of Ashfur's little rant, I had remained silent, unsure of what I could say or do. Or maybe it was because I was too scared. Squirrelflight was about to open her mouth to speak, to say the words I knew I couldn't let her say. Finally making a move, I came to stand between her and Ashfur, cutting her off.

"What pain?" I snapped. "She didn't love you Ashfur. She never did. Not the way you wanted her to."

"Wha... What would you know? You're just a pathetic loner!" Ashfur growled. At first he had looked surprised, though, as if he had forgotten I was there.

"And yet this pathetic loner is still more of a loyal clan cat than you could ever be!" I had to hurry. I could see that the flames were closing in around the three, drawing them closer and closer to the ledge. "You don't have to do this, Ashfur. It's not worth it. What about your sister, Ferncloud? Your mother? What would they think, what would StarClan think if you murdered three innocent cats?"

"I... I don't care." He growled.

"Ashfur, they're not-" Squirrelflight started, but I quickly flicked my tail over her mouth and gave her an insistent look, silently begging her not to speak those words.

It was all clear to me now. No matter what I said, Ashfur wouldn't listen to reason. I couldn't let the three die, and I couldn't let Squirrelflight reveal her and Leafpool's secret. That meant there was one thing left for me to do.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to no one in particular, before leaping at the gray tom. With the advantage of surprise, I pushed him out of the way, and together the two of us tumbled over the edge of the hollow, down the side, and into the roaring flames below.


	10. Phoenix

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Ten: Phoenix**

 **(Jayfeather)**

The rain picked up suddenly then, almost immediately after Eaglepaw and Ashfur had fallen down into the hollow. Of course, I hadn't seen it happen myself, but I had heard the others screaming Eaglepaw's name, heard the sound of two cats fighting, heard the gravel and dirt shifting as they both tumbled over the edge. With the rain coming down even harder, the flames finally started to die down.

Without really even thinking about the consequences, I took off for the thorn tunnel, rushing to get down there.

"Jayfeather, wait!" Hollyleaf called after me. "It's not safe yet, you can't-" But I stopped listening to her after that, too focused on trying to find Eaglepaw. I could hear the others following behind me. I sensed the worry that they were feeling too, although it wasn't nearly as strong as mine, that much I was sure of. Why was I so worried about her? I hadn't even known her that long, so why...?

"Eaglepaw? Eaglepaw, where are you?" I shouted.

"Jayfeather, over here! We... we found Ashfur." Lionblaze informed me. I came over to where the three of them were standing, and nearly threw up from the smell. The smell of burned flesh and fur. It was overwhelming. Judging from the horrible stench, as well as the strong emotions of fear and disgust that I picked up off of Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Squirrelflight, I think for once in my life I was _glad_ I couldn't see. Hesitantly, I moved closer to the charred tom. I had to know for sure, no matter how unbearable the smell was.

"He... He's dead." I confirmed.

"Eaglepaw, she... she killed him! She killed Ashfur!" Hollyleaf gasped in a horrified whisper.

"No... No, she didn't. The fire killed Ashfur. Eaglepaw... Eaglepaw saved our lives. She saved us." I argued. That mouse-brain... why did she do this?! She had to be close by, had to be close to Ashfur's body, I was sure of it. I had to find her. I had to...

 _There!_

Amid the smell of smoke and burned plant life, I just faintly managed to find Eaglepaw's scent. Treading slowly and carefully, I was able to find her. As I checked over her body, I couldn't believe it.

"She's alive! Everyone, Eaglepaw's alive!" I cried out, getting the other's attention. Barely, she was just barely holding on.

"Oh, thank StarClan!" Squirrelflight exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief. "Come on, let's carry her over to the medicine cat's den." And that's exactly what we did. Together, all four of us carefully brought Eaglepaw's bruised and burned body all the way over to the medicine cat's den. Which, much to my surprise and pure gratitude, was practically untouched by the fire. As soon as we got her situated in a nest, I went about treating her burns.

* * *

 **(Eaglepaw)**

Slowly, as I blinked my eyes open, I found that I was laying in an empty black void. Strangely enough, despite the fact that it seemed impossibly dark, I could still see myself as clearly as if it were the middle of the day. It didn't feel like I was falling or floating or something like that. In fact, it didn't feel like... well, like _anything_.

Was I dead? All I remembered after lunging at Ashfur was the two of us tumbling over the edge of the cliff and down into the hollow. And then... darkness.

I had to be dead, there was no way I could survive the fall _and_ the fire. Maybe the fall, if I was lucky. But the fire as well? That just seemed impossible.

"You'll find there are many things that seem impossible, the longer you stay in this world." A voice spoke up from behind me, breaking my train of thought. I nearly jumped out of my skin, turning to see who it was that was here with me. And there sat a hairless tom, a sphynx cat, with bright orbs of light for eyes.

Rock.

"What... What are you doing here? And where... where is here? Am I dead?" I questioned.

"Calm yourself, young one. Don't worry, you are still very much alive." The ancient tom mewed. "As I'm sure you're aware, you've made a very... drastic change."

"You mean... You mean Ashfur, don't you?" I murmured. Rock nodded. "... Did I make a mistake? Should I have let Squirrelflight reveal her and Leafpool's secret? Are you... Are you angry with me?" I asked him.

"No, young one. You have done everything I expected you would do thus far." Rock replied. Wait a minute, what?!

"What do you mean by 'everything I expected you would do?'" I remarked. "Rock, are you the one who brought me here? To the world of the clans, I mean."

"In a way, I suppose I did." He answered vaguely. Well, if that wasn't the most helpful answered I'd ever gotten...

"Then, you know why I'm here, right? Can you tell me?" I insisted.

"I do, but sadly, now is not the time for you to know your purpose for being here. However, I can tell you that there is still very much left for you to do."

"More I have to do?" I repeated, confused. "But, Rock, how will I know what to do? You said yourself, I've made a huge change to the story. How will I know what's right?"

"There is no right or wrong." Rock stated, his voice taking on a strangely nurturing tone. "Whatever you decide to do, or not do, is your choice, and your choice alone. But remember, young one, each choice you make comes with a cost. No matter what you may change, destiny will want something else in return." He warned me. "You'll be waking up soon. There's one more thing I must tell you before you leave."

"It's not a prophecy or something, is it?" I laughed dryly. But Rock nodded, and something about his posture, the way he held himself, changed significantly.

" _Birds of a feather must fly together so that the pure flower may help calm the raging storm."_ He spoke with an ominous tone.

And then, in the blink of an eye, I found myself lying in a nest of moss, and a wave of pain washed over me. It took everything I had in me not to scream out. It stung so bad, like I'd accidently touched a burning stove. Except instead of just my hand or a few fingers, it was my entire body.

"Jayfeather, she's awake!" Hollyleaf's voice exclaimed, and I realized that she, along with Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Squirrelflight were all with me. We were in the medicine cats' den, and Jayfeather was looking through the herb supply.

After Hollyleaf spoke, he immediately brought over a bundle of herbs, placing a few down in front of me.

"Get a drink, and then eat these. They'll help the pain." He ordered. I lapped up a bit of water from a moss ball that was sitting beside the herbs. It was a bit hard to swallow, my throat dry and scratchy. That was probably because of smoke inhalation, if I had to guess. Once I got a few sips in, I ate the herbs that Jayfeather had given me. Aside from poppy seeds, I couldn't really identify what had been placed in front of me.

"Where... Where's Ashfur?" I coughed once I was done. My only response was an awkward silence as Squirrelflight, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze all shared looks with each other, and Jayfeather simply continued chewing up a poultice. "I... I guess that answers that..." I muttered. He was dead, then. "I-I'm so sorry." I whispered, choking up slightly. "I never... I never meant to-"

"Shh, it's alright, Eaglepaw." Squirrelflight interrupted me, a soft, motherly tone in her voice. "You have nothing to apologize for. You only did what you thought was right." Then she turned to the others. "Jayfeather, once you're done, I'd like the three of you to give Eaglepaw and I some privacy."

"What? Why?" Jayfeather questioned.

"You should go get the rest of the clan, let them know that the fire's died down. We'll have to... We'll have to bury Ashfur, as well." Squirrelflight went on, ignoring Jayfeather's protests. The gray tabby tom sighed, probably knowing he wouldn't be able to get Squirrelflight to say anything she didn't want to.

"You're right." He mumbled.

"And just so we're all clear; Ashfur died in the fire. End of story. The clan doesn't need to know anything beside that. For our sakes... and for his." Squirrelflight told us. All of us agreed, and after Jayfeather was done treating my burns, he and his siblings left for the abandoned Twoleg nest. It was just me and Squirrelflight now, and I had a pretty good idea about why she wanted the two of us to be alone.

"Eaglepaw, about what happened back there, up on the ledge..." Squirrelflight started. "You knew what I was going to tell Ashfur, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I... I know the truth. About their real parents." I admitted. "About Leafpool and Crowfeather."

"How?" She wondered. "Leafpool couldn't have told you, and I know I didn't..."

"I'm sorry, Squirrelflight, but I can't... I can't tell you. It's complicated. Really, really complicated." I explained.

"You don't... You don't have to tell me. After all, you saved my secret. You saved my k-" She paused. "You saved their lives. I owe you so much."

"You know, Squirrelflight... Just because you didn't give birth to them... doesn't mean they aren't still your kits." I murmured. "I'm sure this goes without saying, but I promise you, I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you, Eaglepaw. Thank you for everything."


	11. Taking Flight

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Eleven: Taking Flight**

 **(Eaglepaw)**

Several days went by as I recovered from the fire in the medicine cat's den. The clan had done their best to rebuild the camp in that time as well, and they'd done a pretty good job, from what I had seen.

At the moment, I was resting just outside the medicine cat's den in the shade. While my burns had pretty much healed, too much direct sunlight was still pretty uncomfortable.

To be honest, I was surprised I wasn't covered in bald spots. You'd think the fire would've burned off my fur at least a little bit. Maybe it was because Ashfur broke my fall or because the rain had picked up soon after. Either way, there were still plenty of burns beneath all that fur. Jayfeather and Leafpool had both assured me that it wasn't anything they couldn't handle, at least. The herbs they'd been giving me were doing a pretty good job at keeping the pain at bay, but I'd have killed for an ice bath or something like that. Maybe I could take a dip in the lake; that water was probably pretty cold, right? Ah well, I digress.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a clan meeting!" Firestar's voice rang out through the hollow, interrupting my train of thought. A clan meeting, huh? I wonder why...

Slowly, I stretched to my paws before padding over to the clearing, just below the Highledge. It wasn't long before the whole clan had gathered, and Firestar continued with his announcement.

"Cats of ThunderClan, I would like to start this clan meeting by saying you've all done a wonderful job helping to rebuild the camp. Though many things were lost in the fire, one thing has come to my attention in light of these recent events." He spoke, his eyes scanning the crowd until they fell on me. "Eaglepaw, please step forward."

Wait, what?! He couldn't be... He wasn't about to give me my warrior name, was he? I mean, I had only been with ThunderClan for a little less than a month, give or take. And from all the whispering and chattering that started, I knew several other cats were just as surprised as I was. Well, regardless, I got to my paws once more, walking all the way up to the front of the gathered cats. I saw that Brambleclaw was waiting there as well.

"I take it you're wondering why Firestar's decided to make you a warrior so soon?" The brown tabby tom remarked.

"Y-Yes! I mean, Foxpaw and Icepaw have been apprentices longer than I have, shouldn't they get their names before I do?" I replied.

"Icepaw and Foxpaw still have a few things to learn before they're ready. You may not have been here all that long, Eaglepaw, but you've easily proven yourself worthy of being a warrior. I don't think there's anything more I could teach you." Brambleclaw told me. "Besides that, Squirrelflight told me about how you helped save our kits, and I'm eternally grateful for that."

Squirrelflight told him? How much did she tell him exactly? Would she have mentioned anything about Ashfur? No. No, there was no way Squirrelflight would do something like that. Not her.

Just then, Firestar leaped down from the Highledge and came to stand in front of me, beginning the ceremony.

"I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of our noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Eaglepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do." I stated sincerely.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Eaglepaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Eagleflight. StarClan honors your dedication and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." He finished, coming to rest his muzzle on my head.

"Eagleflight! Eagleflight! Eagleflight!" The clan cheered in unison.

And with that, the clan meeting concluded, and everyone returned to their respective duties. Obviously, since it was still so early in the day, I wouldn't have to worry about my silent vigil until it was nighttime.

"Eagleflight." I heard Jayfeather's voice behind me.

"Oh, Jayfeather! Hi! Is everything alright?" I asked the gray tabby. He had that look in his eyes again...

"Meet me at the abandoned Twoleg nest. I'm going to bring Hollyleaf and Lionblaze, too." He told me, lowering his voice so that no one might overhear him.

"Huh? Why?" I questioned softly.

"I've been thinking about it... While you were recovering. You need to talk with them." He explained, a bit vaguely. Although, I was pretty sure I knew what he wanted me to talk with them about.

"Ah, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, I'll tell them if you want me to." I wondered. "It's just that, well, I'm a little scared for how they'll react." I admitted.

"They need to know; I don't want to keep it a secret from them, and you should be the one to tell them." He insisted.

"Alright, alright. Let's do this, then."

* * *

 **(Jayfeather)**

"Okay, we're here, now what is it that you two have to tell us?" Hollyleaf asked. I could tell she was pretty worried, though I don't think I would've needed my powers to figure that one out.

"It's what Eagleflight has to tell you, actually." I corrected her, turning in the direction of the former Twoleg.

"Um, well... You see, the thing is..." Eagleflight stammered, no doubt trying to figure out how exactly she should say what she was trying to say. "I... I didn't actually used to be a loner." She started. A wave of confusion arose from both Hollyleaf and Lionblaze after she said that.

"What do you mean? If you weren't a loner, then what were you?" Lionblaze questioned.

"Well, um, you might find this kind of hard to believe, but I, ah, I used to be a... a Twoleg." She admitted, finally getting straight to the point.

"What?" Hollyleaf gasped. "That can't... Eagleflight, you're joking, aren't you?"

"She's telling the truth, Hollyleaf." I stated.

"You knew?" Lionblaze questioned me.

"I-I told him not long before the fire started. So much happened, and Jayfeather wanted me to be the one to tell you guys." Eagleflight jumped to my defense. "That's... that's not the only thing, though." She added. "I... I'm from a different world. A world where everything about the clans are just stories. I know almost everything about the clans' pasts, and about the future. I-I know about the prophecy, too."

"You mean... You know about our powers?" Lionblaze wondered. Eagleflight didn't respond verbally, so I assumed that she nodded.

"Wait, so, if you used to be a Twoleg, you know about monsters, don't you?" Hollyleaf suddenly questioned curiously. "Like, why they only ever stay on the blackpaths?"

"Y-Yeah. Uh, well, Twolegs use them to travel quickly over long distances. We call them cars, by the way. Twolegs made the blackpaths so that it would be easier to travel, too. And, ah, well, the cars can't see, so the Twolegs guide them, and, from where the Twolegs sit, it's hard for them to see cats crossing the blackpaths, so sometimes cats accidently get hit. They don't... They don't eat cats, either. They... eat this black goo called oil." Eagleflight explained to them. Well, as riveting as that conversation was...

"As much as I would _love_ to learn about how monsters work, we've got more important things to talk about." I cut in. "Eagleflight, we need you to tell us everything you can about the prophecy."

"The thing is, I... I don't really know how much I can tell you. There are just some things I don't think you guys are ready to hear yet." She answered. "But... Well, your powers are meant to help you protect the clans."

"Protect them from what, exactly?" Lionblaze questioned.

"...From the Dark Forest." Eagleflight stated.

"The Dark Forest?" Hollyleaf repeated, confused.

"The place where dead warriors go who don't deserve to walk among the stars. Like Tigerstar and Hawkfrost." She clarified.

"Wait, what? Tigerstar and Hawkfrost? But they're our kin!" Lionblaze argued. He seemed angry at the accusation.

"That... That might be the case, but they're trying to take control of the clans. Along with several other Dark Forest warriors. They walk in the dreams of living cats to manipulate them into training with them." Eagleflight countered my brother, although she sounded rather... unsure of herself when she said that first part.

Her words reminded me of what happened many, many moons ago; back when I was still a warrior apprentice, when Tigerstar and Hawkfrost came to me in my dreams and offered to give me extra training. Spottedleaf had stopped me from accepting though. Maybe Eagleflight was right then...

Lionblaze seemed to have a sudden realization at her words as well, as if she'd struck him. Had... Had Tigerstar and Hawkfrost come to Lionblaze, too? And more importantly, had he accepted the offer?

"How do you know all of this, Eagleflight? How do you know for sure?" Lionblaze asked.

"I already told you; in the world I come from, your lives are just stories. Do you want me to prove it?" She suddenly snapped, taking the rest of us by surprise. "When you were an apprentice, you used to meet with Heathertail in the tunnels and pretend to be the leader and deputy of a clan called DarkClan." She went on. Needless to say, Lionblaze was shocked.

"Alright, I believe you." My brother mumbled.

"Incredible... To think, there's a whole different world out there where we're nothing but stories..." Hollyleaf murmured, awestruck.

"There's one other thing I should tell you guys." Eagleflight mewed a bit softly, calming down from her little outburst. "There, uh... There's a fourth cat."

"A fourth? But... But the prophecy said _'There will be three!'_ How can there be a fourth cat?" I asked. That couldn't be true. Why would there be a fourth cat? But... Eagleflight hadn't been wrong yet. She knew about our powers, knew what my full name would be before I even received it. She had to be right about this as well. "Who is it? You do know who it is, don't you?"

"I... I do. But, I think... I think we need to wait. I'll tell you who it is, when the time's right." She insisted.

I sighed. "Fine."

* * *

 **(Eagleflight)**

After all that, the four of us made our way back to camp. I wonder... was it wrong of me to let Hollyleaf keep believing she was part of the prophecy? Should I have waited to tell them about the other cat? About Dovewing? Man, there were still so many moons before she was born...

"Eagleflight, Lionblaze! Could you two join this border patrol with Squirrelflight and Foxpaw?" Brambleclaw called over to us once we finally returned.

"Alright." Lionblaze agreed, and I nodded. Awesome, as soon as we get back, we're out again. Oh well, I still had plenty of time to kill before my vigil.

"We'll take the WindClan border first, then ShadowClan." Squirrelflight told us, leading the way through the thorn tunnel. On the plus side, Foxpaw didn't seem like he was irritated at me or anything for become a warrior. Maybe it had something to do with all the extra jobs I'd taken back when I was trying to avoid Jayfeather...

Everything was pretty normal at the WindClan border, it looked like they were staying on their side. Lionblaze and Foxpaw both renewed the scent markers before we made our way over to the ShadowClan border.

Even though it had been at least a week since the whole ShadowClan incident, I was still glad to know that their border was freshly marked. But once again, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Although, I guess that was a good thing, wasn't it?

With both sides of the territory accounted for, we were once again on the way back to the camp. It was a little hard for me to get used to all that walking after resting in the medicine cat's den for a couple days, but somehow I managed to keep up with the others just fine.

"Hold on... Do you smell that?" Squirrelflight suddenly spoke, coming to a rather abrupt stop. I lifted my muzzle into the air, opening my mouth taking in a deep breath. It smelled like-

"It's another cat!" Foxpaw piped up. "And it doesn't smell like they're a member of the other clans." He was right. It definitely didn't smell like a ThunderClan cat, and it didn't seem like it was WindClan or ShadowClan either. I'd never actually experienced RiverClan's scent before, though, since they were on the opposite side of the lake. And I still hadn't been to a Gathering yet.

The four of us tried to find the source of the mysterious scent, and luckily, it wasn't long before we found it.

There, lying unconscious in the shelter of a thorn bush, was a kit. I could tell she was a kit because of how small she was; about the same size as Rosekit and Toadkit. She was dark gray, almost black, with silver-colored speckles dotting her ears and tail.

The most striking feature about her, though, was that she only had three legs.


	12. The Pure Flower

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Twelve: The Pure Flower**

 **(Eagleflight)**

Yep, she definitely only had three legs, alright; her left front leg was nothing but a stub. Judging from how not-scabby it looked, and because I doubted she could've had it amputated, it seemed like she had been born that way.

"What should we do with her?" Foxpaw questioned, looking to his mentor. "We can't just leave her here, right?"

"Well, first and foremost, we should try waking her up first." Squirrelflight noted. "Her mother or father might be close by, for all we know, or at the very least she might be able to tell us how she got here."

"I can try." I offered. "To wake her up, that is. I don't think you or Lionblaze can fit under there, anyway." It would be a tight squeeze for sure, but I should've been able to. And I doubted Foxpaw would want to do it.

"Alright, just be careful of those thorns." Squirrelflight warned me. I nodded before crawling my way closer to the strange little she-cat. Ever so gently, I nudged her side with my paw.

"H-Hey, are you alright?" I spoke up, raising my voice a bit in the hope that it would help wake her. Right away, the speckled she-cat started to stir, letting out a soft moan. Not long after, the little kit sat up, blinking her eyes open. They were a beautiful icy blue, like nothing I'd ever seen before. "Thank goodness..." I murmured under my breath. "Are you alright?" I repeated.

"I... I don't know..." She answered, sounding groggy. However, when she turned to look at me, all traces of sleep seemed to vanish immediately. "Wait- You- What?!" She gasped, panic rising in her tone. She started trying to back away from me, only to stop just before she made contact with the nearest thorny branch.

"I-It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." I assured her, staying right where I was. It was then that I realized she was looking around frantically, as if she had no clue where she was. "My friends and I were just worried." I explained, gesturing over to Squirrelflight, Lionblaze, and Foxpaw. "You were just lying there so-"

"You're a cat!" She whispered. There was a shocked tone in her voice, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "A-And you're talking!"

Oh my gosh, no. No, there was _no_ way. It couldn't be... Was this kitten... Was she a former human just like me?

"Shh, you have to calm down. Don't... Don't freak out, but... you're a cat, too." I spoke softly. Hopefully the others were far away enough that they couldn't hear us. It would be horribly awkward trying to explaine this to Squirrelflight and Foxpaw.

She looked herself over after I said that, and just about screamed when she saw that what I'd said was true.

"I-I'm not supposed to-" She started.

"I know, I know, but listen, you can't let anyone else know about it, alright?" I cut her off, trying to sound as kind and gentle as possible. "What's your name? I'm Eagleflight." I introduced myself. The former human made a face upon hearing my name, but answered the question regardless.

"My... My name's Lily." She answered.

 _Birds of a feather must fly together so that the pure flower may help calm the raging storm._

Rock's words from several nights ago suddenly rang it my head the moment that Lily told me her name. The pure flower... Was Lily part of the prophecy? She had to be, especially if since she really was a human, just like I was.

"Well, Lily, you should come with us, back to our camp. We can try and help you." I encouraged her, hoping she would agree.

"Um, okay." The little kit stated simply after hesitating for a moment. I guess, given the circumstances, she didn't really have many other options available to her.

She stood up after that, a bit shaky on her three paws, but she seemed like she was fine with walking as she followed me from out of the cover of the thorn bush.

...

It wasn't long before the five of us made it back to camp, and I led Lily up to the Highledge to talk with Firestar.

"Firestar? Could I have a word with you?" I called in to the leader's den.

"Yes, Eagleflight, what is it?" The flame-colored tom replied.

"While we were out on the patrol, we, ah... we found a kit lying under a thorn bush. She doesn't have any of the other clans' scent on her, and we don't know where she came from." I explained, walking all the way into the den. To my surprise, although it really shouldn't have surprised me all that much, Brambleclaw was sitting in there as well. Lily stayed extremely close to me as I brought her to meet the two toms. She was almost like a little kid clinging to her parent. I guess she really trusted me, or at least, trusted me the most out of everyone here.

"Really? And there were no other cats around that couldn't been her mother or father?" Brambleclaw questioned curiously. And then the two of them both noticed her missing leg. They both stared silently for a moment, before I broke them out of it.

"We didn't scent anything, no." I answered. "Do you think, maybe... Could we take her in?" I asked Firestar. He turned to the small dark gray she-cat.

"Lily, is it? Would you like to join our clan?" He checked with her.

"I... I have no where else to go, s-so... if you'll have me, then yes." She answered a bit nervously.

"Since you are joining us, you'll be given the name Lilykit." Brambleclaw spoke.

"Uh, alright." Lily agreed.

"Um, if it's alright with you, Firestar, I'd like to be Lily, er, Lilykit's mentor when she's apprenticed." I inquired.

"Eagleflight, with her... Do you really think she'll be able to be a warrior?" He asked me in a hushed tone. Lilykit could obviously still hear him, though.

"Yeah, I think she's plenty able, if she wants to be one." I remarked. "We should at least give her a chance."

"Right, that is true. She can be apprenticed with Rosekit and Toadkit." Firestar agreed, thankfully. "Alright then, now that that's settled, why don't you show Lilykit around the camp?" He suggested.

And that's exactly what I did.

"So... Lilykit, huh?" She mused. "Why do you all have such... unique names?" She asked me as we walked back down into the clearing.

"It... Well it's just the way things are. When you become an apprentice, you'll get the name Lilypaw, and once you're done with your training and become a warrior, you'll get a name like... mm, Lilyfur or something. It depends on what name Firestar chooses to give you."

"Warriors?" Lilykit repeated. "Isn't that a...?" She started, her voice trailing off as she realized what she was about to ask.

"A book series?" I finished for her.

"Wait, how-"

"You can't tell anyone about this, but I used to be a human, too. Right now, you and I are both in the Warriors universe." I confessed, speaking softly. "You... You haven't read the books, have you?"

"I mean... I read a little of the first one, but... Hold on a second! That doesn't make any sense! How could... Why are we in a story?!" She demanded in a whisper.

"I-I don't really know, I'm still trying to figure that out myself, but we can do it together." I promised her.

"So... you... you've read all those books then?" Lilykit asked me.

"Yeah, yeah, I have. Let me just give you the basics." I started. "There are four clans here our the lake; ThunderClan, which is us, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. Each clan has it's own leader, and the leader's names all end with '-star,' like Firestar. He's our leader. Each clan also has a deputy, a second in command. Our deputy is Brambleclaw, that brown tabby who has with Firestar. He was my mentor back when I was an apprentice." I explained to her. "When kits reach six month, or moons as the clan cats call them, old they're made into apprentices, and then, after several months of training, the apprentices are made into warriors." I went on.

"What kind of training?" She wondered, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Hunting and battle training." I replied. "There haven't been any major battles lately, which is good, but you don't have to worry about anything like that yet."

"And... hunting? Am I gonna have to eat, like, mice and stuff like that?" Lilykit questioned.

"Um... yeah. Trust me, it's really not that bad once you try it." I assured her. Suddenly though, a thought occured to me. "Hey, how old are you? I mean, when you were a human?"

"Thirteen." She stated. "I'm... well, I _was_ going to be fourteen pretty soon. How old were you?"

"Oh, uh, fifteen." I answered. "If you don't mind me asking... were you... that is, when you were human, did you, um, did you not have your left arm?" I asked awkwardly. Not exactly the most polite question to ask someone, but I really wanted to know.

"Er... yeah. Don't worry about it, it's no big deal. I was in a car accident when I was really little. Had to have in amputated." She explained to me.

"Do you... Do you want to train to be a warrior?"

"Sure, why not? If you think you can handle me, that is." She joked.

"Well, then, let us begin our lovely tour of the ThunderClan camp. Shall we?" I meowed.

...

Once I had finished showing Lilykit around the camp, it wasn't long before the sun dipped below the horizon. Firestar held a clan meeting telling everyone of Lilykit's acceptance into ThunderClan, and, aside from a few mutters and whispers of protest, there wasn't much of a ruckus about it.

With everything that had happened, I'd almost forgotten that I still had to do my silent vigil tonight, so, after the clan meeting, I took Lilykit over to the nursery.

The other kits were more than happy to meet her, and ask her all about what it was like being a non-clan cat.

"Now, little ones, don't pester the poor thing." Daisy chided Rosekit and Toadkit.

"This is all new to her. I know what it was like for me when I first met the clans." Millie added to Briarkit, Blossomkit, and Bumblekit.

"Here, Lilykit, we've got plenty of extra room in our nest." Daisy offered, gesturing to her moss bed.

"Thank you so much." Lilykit mewed gratefully, although she seemed a bit hesitant about sleeping in a bed made out of moss.

"This is great! We can be like sisters, Lilykit! I've always wanted a sister." Rosekit exclaimed cheerfully.

"What about Hazeltail?" I questioned with a smile.

"She already a warrior though! I mean a sister my age!" Rosekit corrected herself. I couldn't help but chuckle at the young kit's tenaciousness.

"Good luck with your vigil, Eagleflight." Millie wished as I said my goodbyes.

"Thanks." I smiled. I left the nursery after that, and made my way over to the camp entrance. Brambleclaw was waiting there for me.

"Are you ready?" He checked with me.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I replied. The brown tabby tom nodded, taking his leave as I got myself situated. Oh boy, this was gonna be one hell of a long night...

...

After what felt like an eternity, the moon was high above me, probably at the highest point it would reach; midnight. The night was perfectly silent, save for the distance sounds of chirping crickets and small animals scurrying around in the darkness. To be honest, I don't know how I managed to stay awake for this long. While this was rather peaceful and pleasant, it was also extremely boring.

Although, I guess that was for the best. Having an exciting vigil most likely involved things I probably didn't want to deal with, like badgers or foxes or another clan invading in the middle of the night. Yeah, nope, I think i definitely preferred having a boring, normal vigil.

"I hate to interrupt, but could I perhaps have a word with you?" A sly voice broke through the silence, nearly making me jump out of my skin. I turned to see a large, dark brown tabby tom just inside the entrance to the thorn tunnel. He had a ghostly air about him, and his amber eyes seemed to glow menacingly in the darkness. He also had a thick scar running across the bridge of his nose, and one of ears was split into a "V" shape. What stuck out to me the most, though, was his striking resemblance to Brambleclaw.

Right away, I knew who this cat was.

 _Tigerstar._

Immediately, I got to my paws. What was _he_ doing here? I could feel myself starting to tremble. Oh my god, he was huge! He had to be one of the biggest cat I'd ever seen! Seeing him like this, I never could've imaged just how big really he was. The descriptions in the books hadn't done him justice.

"Hmm, judging from that reaction, it looks like you know who I am. Wonderful..."He smiled, standing up as well. He started walked toward me then, coming to a stop when his nose was just mere inches from mine. He seemed to be sizing me up, looking me over, examining me.

"Look at you, shaking like a newborn kit. _This_ is the mighty Twoleg that StarClan has chosen?" He practically spat. He... He knew! He knew I was a Twoleg! "You've never even seen a real battle, and that _kittypet_ thinks you're ready to be a warrior? How pathetic." He went on. From the way he said the word "kittypet," I knew he was talking about Firestar. "You're not ready. Not to be a warrior, and certainly not to protect the ones you care about... Let me help you, teach you what it is you need to be stronger."

"N...No." I stammered, finally finding the courage to speak.

"Hm? What was that?" Tigerstar mocked me.

"I... I would never accept help from a-a traitor like you, Tiger _claw_!" I spoke up, unsheathing my claws.

"It's Tigerstar." The Dark Forest tom corrected me, and I could tell he was starting to get irritated with me.

"You'll never get away with it... You'll never destroy the clans. I-I know your plans won't work." I said.

"Oh, do you now? Well, little Twoleg, you aren't the only one who can change the future. What makes you so sure my plans are still the same?" He challenged me.

"B-Because you're too stupid to come up with something new." I remarked. Suddenly though, in a flash, I found myself pinned to the ground. Faster than I could even react, Tigerstar had knocked he down, and now he had me pinned with just one paw.

"You should learn watch your tongue, Twoleg. Especially when you're dealing with a far more experienced warrior." He snarled, unsheathing his claws and letting them sink deep into my skin. I bit back a scream of pain, knowing I couldn't let myself appear any weaker than I already had.

"You don't even have the right you call yourself a warrior. You're nothing but a murderer." I hissed at him. Just when he was about to speak again, another voice cut him off.

"Hey, what's going on over there?!" Someone called over. Tigerstar let out a frustrated sigh.

"You got lucky this time, little Twoleg. But before I go, let me leave you with this parting gift." He smiled wickedly. Using the paw that wasn't pinning me down, the ghostly tom raked his claws over my left eye. Unlike before, I wasn't able to hold back, and I let out a yowl of pain, so loud I could've woken the entire camp.

In the blink of an eye, Tigerstar had vanished, and standing in his place was... Lilykit! She looked utterly horrified.

"Eagleflight, what happened? Oh my gosh, you're bleeding! There's... There's so much blood!" She spoke, her voice full of panic. Oh yeah, I could tell I was losing a lot of blood _very_ quickly. God, I couldn't even see out of my left eye.

"G-Go... Medicine cats' den. Get Jayfeather and Leafpool. Hurry." I managed to tell her, before promptly passing out.

* * *

 **Author Note:**

 **Ooh boy. It would appear that shit it going down. Just wanted to pop in and let you guys know that updates will be a bit slower because, on the day that I'm uploading this chapter, I'm going back to school tomorrow. Woo, senior year here I come! :D**

 **~GL4E**


	13. The Raging Storm

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Thirteen: The Raging Storm**

 **(Jayfeather)**

"Jayfeather! Leafpool! Please, you have to wake up!" A panicked voice interrupted my sleep. To my surprise, it was that new comer, Lilykit. Her tone was enough to get me up in a matter of moments, though it took Leafpool a bit longer to fully awaken.

"Lilykit? What are you doing here? What's wrong?" I asked the little she-cat.

"It's Eagleflight! I-I think she was attacked o-or something! Her eye, there was so much blood." She told me, speaking so quickly that I almost had trouble keeping up with her. Dear StarClan, she sounded absolutely terrified.

However, upon hearing that Eagleflight had been attacked, I quickly went about waking Leafpool. After explaining to her what Lilykit had told me, the two of us grabbed the supplies we knew we would need. Then we raced over toward the entrance to the camp with Lilykit trailing close behind us.

And there Eagleflight was, laying unconscious beside the thorn tunnel. I obviously couldn't see the damage that'd been done to her, but I could definitely smell quite a large amount of blood.

"It's her eye. Her left eye." Leafpool informed me. "By StarClan, it looks as if it's been completely clawed out." She whispered, speaking softly. Most likely so that Lilykit wouldn't hear her. "Lilykit, you shouldn't see this, go back to the-" My mentor started.

"N-No. I want to stay here with Eagleflight." The kit insisted. I hadn't noticed it before, but it seemed like Lilykit and Eagleflight had managed to form quite the bond in the short time they'd known each other. Perhaps it was because Eagleflight was the first ThunderClan cat Lilykit had met?

"She already saw it anyway, Leafpool." I muttered after setting my bundle of herbs down. I quickly pressed a large wad of cobwebs against Eagleflight's injured eye, while Leafpool started chewing up a poultice.

It didn't take long for us to patch up Eagleflight's eye, and once we were done, Leafpool and I carried her over to the medicine cats' den.

"If this keeps up, we'll have to make Eagleflight her own personal nest here." Leafpool joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah... Lilykit, do you know what happened?" I meowed. There was a moment of silence, which I assumed was Lilykit shaking her head, before she answered.

"I didn't... I didn't see what happened to her. I-I couldn't get to sleep, so I went out into the clearing. After a while, I heard two cats arguing, but when I ran over, it was just Eagleflight, all by herself." The young kit mewed softly. "She was just... laying there, bleeding. She told me to get you guys, but then she passed out." She went on. "Jayfeather, she's going to be okay, right?"

"Eagleflight will be fine. Trust me, she's survived worse that this." I assured her.

"Jayfeather's right. Don't worry, Lilykit. We've both dealt with wounds like this before. She's most definitely going to lose sight in that eye, but she'll live." Leafpool added in. "I'm going to go tell Firestar what's happened. I'm positive that Eagleflight was attacked by another cat." The older medicine cat stated before she left for the Highledge. How could it have been another cat, though? Surely Lilykit would've seen them, or, at the very least, we would've been able to pick up their scent.

It couldn't have been more that a few moments after Leafpool left the den when Eagleflight started to stir in her nest.

"Oh my gosh, thank goodness!" Lilykit exclaimed, and I heard her rush over to the former Twoleg's side. Such strange expressions...

"Wha... Where...?" Eagleflight murmured groggily.

"You're in the medicine cats' den, Eagleflight. Lilykit got Leafpool and I." I spoke up. "Eagleflight, you were attacked. Did you see who did it?"

"Tigerstar... It was Tigerstar." She coughed out.

No. There was no way. It was impossible. Tigerstar was dead, how could _he_ have attacked Eagleflight?!

"Who... Who's Tigerstar?" Lilykit asked. I was about to answer her, but Eagleflight beat me to it.

"He's the... former leader of ShadowClan. Before that, he was a warrior of ThunderClan, Tigerclaw, but he was banished for trying to... to kill ThunderClan's old leader, Bluestar. ShadowClan was desperate for a leader after a... sickness killed many of their clan members, so they welcomed Tigerclaw as their leader. He's responsible for so many deaths..."

It shouldn't have surprised me that Eagleflight knew all of that, but once again she'd managed to catch me off guard.

"Wait, former leader? Did ShadowClan banish him too, or...?" Lilykit wondered, sounding confused.

"He died many moons ago, and now he resides in the Place of No Stars. He's been... communicating with other cats through their dreams, but I... I never knew he could do something like this..." I explained.

"You're telling me a dead cat did this to her? That's crazy!" Lilykit exclaimed.

"You turned into a cat, ended up in a fictional story, and yet you think a ghost cat attacking a living one is crazy?" Eagleflight countered.

 _Wait, what?!_

* * *

 **(Eagleflight)**

"So we've got two former Twolegs living in our clan now?" Jayfeather exclaimed, sounding rather unhappy with me. "How long were you planning on keeping this from me?" He demanded. Ugh, I was so _not_ in the mood for this right now...

"I wasn't trying to keep anything from you! I'm sorry I'm not the best at trying to work 'Oh, by the way, you know that kit we just let into our clan? Yeah, turns out she used to be a Twoleg just like me.' into a conversation!" I practically snapped at him. "Okay, maybe not just like me. She doesn't know hardly anything about the clans."

"Then why is she here?" He questioned.

"I don't know. Jayfeather, I still don't even know why _I'm_ here." I answered him, feeling completely exhausted.

"I hate to interrupt... whatever this is, but shouldn't we be more concerned with what to do about the killer spirit cat?" Lilykit chimed it. Oh, sweet subject change. Thank you, dear Lilykit.

"We have to tell Hollyleaf and Lionblaze about this before we decide on anything." I stated.

"You're right." Jayfeather agreed. "But... I think we should wait until you've had some time to rest and heal." Oh. Wow, I'd completely forgotten about what Tigerstar had done to my eye. I hadn't even noticed that couldn't see out of it until just now.

"Jayfeather? Will I... Will I ever be able to see out of this eye again?" I wondered. No answer. He just sad there silently, avoiding my eyes. Which wasn't all that hard for a blind cat. I was pretty sure what that meant, though.

Would I still have this injury when I turned back into a Twoleg? Would I... Would I ever even turn back in the first place?

* * *

 **Author's Note: Welp. S** **chool's been hell. Don't ever let anyone tell you that senior year is going to be easy. They're either lying or wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.**

 **Hence the reason I haven't uploaded a chapter in over two weeks. Until just recently, I had very little desire to work on this story. Almost all of my free time has gone to binge-watching YouTube videos or playing video games.**

 **God, I already had a low enough desire to work on this the first place, and school hasn't helped that in the least bit.**

 **So, yeah, sorry that this chapter's a little on the short side, but it's the best I could do, given the circumstances.**

 **Until next time,**

 **~GL4E**


	14. An Uncertain Future

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Fourteen: An Uncertain Future**

 **(Eagleflight)**

"Come on, Eagleflight, I need to clean your wound and replace the cobwebs." Jayfeather told me as I lay in my nest inside the medicine cats' den.

"Can't I just stay in here for that?" I called back to him. The gray tabby tom was waiting outside for me, sitting beside the tiny waterfall that pooled down into the hollow.

"I think it's time for you to stop laying around all day and come out into the clearing." He remarked. "It's alreay been a few days since you were attacked, and you've barely set paw outside the den ever since." Jayfeather went on. "You didn't even come out for Icecloud and Foxleap's warriors ceremony."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming. Don't get your whiskers in a twist." I complied, stretching my way to my paws. I padded out into the camp, squinting a bit in response to the bright sunlight that shined into the clearing. After that, I came to sit beside Jayfeather.

"There, was that so hard?" He asked after I sat down. There was an almost playful tone in his voice.

"Yes. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my entire life." I replied, being fakely overdramatic. With a light chuckle, the young medicine cat began removing the cobwebs that were wrapped around my head.

Once he was done with that, he picked up a ball of moss that had been resting beside the pool. He dipped it in the water, letting some of the excess drip off before gently dabbing the moss against my injured eye.

"So, how do I look?" I asked the blind medicine cat jokingly.

"Still alive, for starters." He deadpanned.

"Really? I couldn't tell." I purred.

"Probably because of how long you've been lying around in your nest like a lump of fur." Jayfeather remarked. "...You know, you could always look in the pool if you really wanted to know how you looked." He pointed out after pausing for a moment.

Right... I hadn't really thought about that. Mmm, did I really want to know, though? Maybe it would be better to just leave it to my imagination. Or maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.

With a deep breath, I stood and looked down into the small pool of water. Needless to say, it was... pretty bad. Though it could've been worse, I guess.

My left eye was slighty swollen, forcing it to stay shut, with four scabby scars raked down it, and a little bit of fur was missing around that area of my face.

"Oh, Eagleflight! It's good to see you up and about." Leafpool greeted as she walked over from the direction of the elders' den. "Your eye is looking a lot better." She noted happily. Better? Man, it must've looked pretty awful when I'd first gotten the injury then.

"Thank you, Leafpool. That's good to hear." I told her gratefully. She came over to join Jayfeather and I soon after I said that.

"Hmm, there doesn't seem to be any signs of infection... I think that little bit of swelling is just permanent damage to the eye." The light brown tabby she-cat observed as she examined my eye for herself. "You shouldn't need to reapply anymore cobwebs though, Jayfeather."

"A-Are you sure? After all, it's, uh... well it's better to be safe than sorry, right?" I checked.

"There's no point in hiding it forever, Eagleflight." Jayfeather scoffed. "And there's no point in wasting cobwebs."

"I... I know, it's just that I..." I started, only to stop with a sigh. "Fine. You're right." I relented.

"Oh, I just remembered! The Gathering is tonight, Eagleflight. You should be able to go, if you're feeling up to it, that is." Leafpool chimed in.

I was about to open my mouth to respond to that, but before I could, Whitewing came over to the medicine cats' den.

"Good morning, Leafpool, Jayfeather, Eaglefl-" The pure white she-cat greeted, cutting off when she got a good look at my eye. "Oh, Eagleflight, your eye! It doesn't hurt too much does it?" She asked. She didn't really seem disgusted by it or anything like that, mostly just... worried about me? Yeah, that seemed like it was the case.

"N-No, not at all, actually. Jayfeather and Leafpool have done a really good job taking care of it." I assured her.

"That's good to hear. I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind giving you some advice if you're having trouble adjusting." Whitewing purred. Oh right, I'd almost forgotten that she was Brightheart's daughter. That was probably the reason why she didn't seem all that disturbed by my injury.

"What brings you to this side of the camp, Whitewing? Are you feeling alright?" Jayfeather cut in, jumping straight to the point.

"Ah, yes, well... it's nothing too serious really, I just been having stomach aches recently. They aren't constant, they've just been coming and going for the past few days." She explained to the two medicine cats. Leafpool stood up and came to stand in front of her, and the light brown tabby's eyes were immediately drawn to Whitewing's stomach.

"Oh my, Whitewing, this is certainly serious! You're pregnant!" Leafpool declared with a bright smile.

"R-Really? Are you sure?" Whitewing mewed, a mix of nervousness and excitement in her tone.

Suddenly I was very aware of my own increasing heart rate. And I was sure that Jayfeather was aware of it, too. Maybe... maybe he would be too focused on Whitewing to notice. Geez, I had to calm down. Breathe, Eagleflight, breathe.

Dovekit and Ivykit were going to be born in a few weeks. I knew... I knew that I had to do something to keep the two of them from drifting apart. I had to keep Ivykit from turning to the Dark Forest.

Although, Tigerstar did say his plans would be Ivykit even in danger of being tempted to train in the Dark Forest? Well, it wouldn't hurt to keep my guard up with the two of them, just in case.

"Come with me, Whitewing. We should get you moved into the nursery as soon as possible." Leafpool insisted, leading Whitewing away from the medicine cats' den.

Not long after the two of them left, Lilykit came bounding over from the direction that Leafpool and Whitewing had gone in.

"Eagleflight, are you feeling-" The dark gray kit started. " _Oh my gosh!_ " She gasped loudly, skidding to a halt as soon as she saw my face. Well, I guess that was to be expected. Although, given Whitewing's far more tame response earlier, hearing Lilykit practically scream was pretty jarring.

"D-Don't worry! It looks a lot worse than it feels." I assured her quickly, turning my head a bit so that I wasn't directly facing her.

"I... I'm sorry, that was really rude of me." Lilykit apologized, coming to sit down beside me. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Thank you." I mewed simply.

"Eagleflight, are you sure you want to go to the Gathering tonight?" Jayfeather checked with me.

"When did I even say I was going in the first place?" I countered with a faint smile.

"You didn't need to tell Leafpool for me to know the answer." He pointed out. "You're not exactly the best at hiding how you feel."

"I've noticed." I chuckled. "I really do want to go, though. It'll be my first Gathering, remember?"

"Right. I almost forgot that you didn't go to the last one." He stated. "I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing all the other Clans."

"Can I come too?" Lilykit asked eagerly.

"Sorry, Lilykit. Kits have to stay in the camp." I apologized, resting my tail on her shoulder. "You should be able to go to the next one, though."

"When's the next one?" She wondered.

"It'll be in a moon." Jayfeather replied. Lilykit let out a purposely-exaggerated sigh afterward, plopping down to a laying position.

"That's sooooo long, though." She complained, even though she was smiling a little bit. I'd already explained to her a while ago that "a moon" was just the clans' word for a "month," so she did know what Jayfeather meant when he said that.

"I'm sure you can wait. We can hang out together until it's time to go, if you want." I offered.

"Alright. I guess that'll have to do." She accepted, oozing with faked drama, which I couldn't help but giggle at.

...

A few hours went by before ThunderClan arrived at the island. We were the third to arrive after RiverClan and WindClan, with ShadowClan getting there shortly after we did. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming at first, seeing and smelling all those different cats in such a concentrated area.

The four clan leaders were all seated on different branches of the giant oak tree, with their deputies sitting amongst the roots. The medicine cats were closest to the tree after that, with all the warriors and apprentices finding places to sit behind them.

I opted for sitting close to Jayfeather. It was always more comforting for me to stick close to my friends in large crowds, that's just the way I was.

"Oh, Eaglepaw! It's good to see you again." Flamepaw greeted from beside Littlecloud.

"It's nice to see you too, Flamepaw, but I'm Eagle _flight_ now." I smiled, turning to face him.

He hesitated a bit upon seeing my injury, but then said happily, "Congratulations! Hey, guess what? I'm Littlecloud's apprentice now!"

"Congratulations to you, too. I'm sure you'll make a great medicine cat one day." I mewed. Suddenly, I remembered his death in the distant future, when he would receive the name Flametail. Was there anyway I could prevent that from happening as well? Then again, if I did, what else would change because of that?

I also remembered what Rock had told me almost a moon ago; that each choice I made would come with a cost. The cost of what I'd done to Ashfur still hadn't happened yet... Or had it?

It then occurred to me that, since Ashfur hadn't been murdered near WindClan's territory toward the end of _Long Shadows_ , ThunderClan wouldn't suspect that Sol had killed him. And because of that, there wouldn't be a patrol sent into Twolegplace to find the tortoise-shell tom. And without that patrol, Brambleclaw wouldn't offer to let Purdy come to join ThunderClan.

Of course! That was part of the "cost" that Rock had been talking about. Although, in thinking about it, was that really... such a big deal? Don't get me wrong, I really liked Purdy as a character, but, at the moment, I couldn't really see how his absence from ThunderClan's life would be that important.

A hushed silence fell over the crowd of gathered cats as Onestar spoke up from his branch on the oak tree, sharing the news of what had happened in WindClan since the last Gathering. It wasn't anything particularly noteworthy, just that prey was running well and that WindClan was thriving.

As he spoke, I turned to look over my shoulder at the WindClan cats that had come. My eyes were drawn to three cats that were sitting together; a dark gray tom with blue eyes, a younger black tom with amber eyes, and a black she-cat that also had amber eyes. I recognized them right away as Crowfeather, Breezepelt, and Nightcloud.

Breezepelt...

I wondered if he would still join the Dark Forest, given that Leafpool and Squirrelflight's secret was safe, and he didn't know that Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather were his half-siblings.

Although, for all I knew, he might've already started training there. Tigerstar had gone to Lionblaze and Jayfeather not long after they'd been apprenticed, so it wasn't totally unreasonable that he would go to Breezepelt as well.

At least Breezepelt wouldn't have such a vendetta against Jayfeather and the others this time around. I took a bit of comfort in that thought, if only just a little.

But, with the thought of Flametail, Purdy, and Breezepelt fresh in my mind, I could help but wonder...

What else would change because of the choices I'd made? Or the changes I would make in the future?

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Oh boy! I've finally managed to update this story. Less than two days before** **2016, no less. x'D**

 **Gosh, when was the last time I updated? ... September. Woops. I'd say that this won't happen again, but it probably will. I've probably said this about a million times by now, but I've just got such little desire to work on this story. Couple that with my lack of writerly inspiration in general, and updates are next to impossible.**

 **Ah well, Happy New Year's everyone, and here's to another year of me trying my best to actually write stuff for you.** **Let's hope the next update won't be another three-month wait. owo"**

 **~GL4E**


	15. An Apology

**Birds of a Feather**

 **Chapter Fifteen: Lilies**

 **(Eagleflight)**

About a week after the Gathering, Firestar called a clan meeting around noon, just as the sun reached its highest point in the sky. Once all of ThunderClan had gathered around the Highledge, he began.

"Cats of ThunderClan, I have called you together for one of the most important times in the life of a clan. Rosekit, Toadkit, and Lilykit have reached six moons of age, and it is now time for them to become apprentices. Will the three of you please step forward." The flame-colored tom announced.

The three young cats did as they were told, walking to the front of the crowd together. Lilykit looked especially nervous. Though, I guess that was to be expected, since she'd never even _seen_ an apprentice ceremony.

"Rosekit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Rosepaw. Your mentor shall be Birchfall." Firestar started.

A part of me was surprised that he hadn't chosen Squirrelflight, because I could've sworn that was who Rosepaw's mentor was supposed to be. But... in thinking about it, hadn't he given Rosepaw to Squirrelflight in order to prove she was still a loyal member of ThunderClan? Since her and Leafpool's secret was never revealed, I guess it made sense that he didn't choose her.

"Toadkit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Toadpaw. Your mentor shall be Cloudtail." The ThunderClan leader went on. "And finally, Lilykit. From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be called Lilypaw. Eagleflight shall be your mentor." He concluded. Plenty of shocked murmurs erupted from the cats gathered, though I tried my best to ignore them. I could already guess what they were talking about anyway.

Birchfall, Cloudtail, and I stepped forward after that, coming to stand beside our new apprentices. Rosepaw and Toadpaw touched noses with the two older toms, first. Lilypaw looked over and watched them, and then copied what they did with me.

"Rosepaw! Toadpaw! Lilypaw!" The rest of the clan cheered happily.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **What was that thing I said at the end of the last chapter? "Let's hope the next update won't be another three-month wait?" When was that? Oh, yeah. Six months ago. Good job, me. Good job. And in that six months, this was the best I could crap out; less than 400 words.**

 **No one is going to be happy to hear this, I know, but... I think I'm done. For the longest time it was mainly just a lack of inspiration that prevented me from working on this story, but now... Now it's just finally reached the point where I don't _want_ to work on it anymore. I've been writing a couple non-Warriors projects privately for the past couple of months, and I've found that I have far more passion for those. **

**And I know that a lot of you are still really into this story, and really want to see it continue, and I'm sorry. I'm really, truly sorry that I've kept you all waiting this long. I'm sorry that I've basically just given up after all this time.**

 **But I can't keep writing this. I _don't want_ to keep writing this _._ And I know that if I keep trying, it won't be any good. I won't be happy with it.**

 **That said, please don't beg me to continue this, guys. I'm ignoring any comments like that. Please try to understand. I just... I want to work on the stuff that I have passion and motivation for.**

 **Well, um... I don't really know how to wrap this up, but, thank you all for the support you've given me in the past, and I'm sorry if I've let you down.**

 **~GL4E**


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